Old Ways
by Miranda Took
Summary: 11 years have passed since Voldemort's death.11 years in which Hermione had rebuilt her shattered life bit by bit.Now the deatheaters that survived plans to revert back to their old ways. What will be the consequences on her and the wizarding world?
1. Chapter 1

**Old Ways **

**Author's notes: My new fanfic finally! Remember its not related to my other one. New batch of Hogwarts kids, action, mystery, adventure, romance- you could say it has got a bit of everything. So please be kind and read and review. **

**DISCLAIMER: I own the plot and setting of this chapter and Rudrapratap Ray is my character, but everything else belongs to Rowling. And by the way, I don't own _Macbeth _either, I am just quoting Shakespeare, I love this play, its one of my favourites!**

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Prologue

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"_When the hurlyburly's done,_

_When the battle's lost and won"_

(**_Macbeth,_****William ****Shakespeare**)

The young English youth stirred. The Indian bent over his face. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly as the man opened his eyes. He did not reply. He looked at the high ceilings from which hung a gold chandelier, at the huge exquisitely curved walnut door at the end of the unfamiliar room, at the tall windows shaded by richly embroidered curtains and finally at the stranger standing beside his bed. He was a man of medium height and dark complexion and having intelligent black eyes and wavy grey hair. He was wearing white cotton robes with an embroidered white shawl thrown around his shoulders. He blinked. Where was he? The Indian read the question in his eyes and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry," he said, " I am your friend. I knew Dumbledore. You are absolutely safe here with me."

"Where am I? How did I come here?"

" Well," said the older man, "you are at Parital in India, at the Kalpadrum School of Magic. I am Rudrapratap Ray, the headmaster. I was in Scotland to attend the meeting of the International Confederation of Warlocks and accidentally found you lying unconscious and injured in a valley. Now you see, not all your enemies have been caught and convicted and I am sure not a few of them would like to see the end of you. I felt it would be highly unsafe for you if they knew you were alive and vulnerable, so I brought you here. But you are getting better now, and as soon as you are strong enough you can return. I dare say they'll be glad to see you back."

"But where shall I go?" the youth asked blankly.

Ray was shocked into silence as a sudden suspicion hit him. " Don't you remember who you are?" he whispered at length. The youth nodded. He did not care. He did not want to, he could not think. His body ached and his brain felt numb. He only wanted to sleep. Sleep boundless, powerful and enslaving, engulfed him. He sank into slumber again.

The Indian stared at his sleeping face sadly. He was but a boy still, yet to cross his teens. "Let him rest;" he thought, "he has earned his rest."

The departing light of the setting sun fell on his face as he walked out of the room and stepped outside. Vaporous shadows were rising from the earth, engulfing the fading red and golden hues in the horizon. From the muggle village below, sounds of bells ringing and chanting came floating over the valley. Evening prayers had begun. " Its getting late." Murmured Ray to himself and started towards the staff-room.

Back in the room, the young guest slept on, not knowing who he was, not knowing what he had done, not knowing he would have to wait eleven years to find himself again.

A decade passed away.

**Chapter 1 Good Times**

**N.B:** _The prologue is set in _1998_, before our story begins. As you might have guessed, it_ _is right after the final battle and Voldemort's death. _**_Parital_**_ is a place invented by me, __**pari** in Bengali or Hindi means fairy and **tal** means lake._ _Keep reviewing this and my other_ _story as well. Thanks a lot to those who read and review me._


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: Rowling owns everything except the plot.

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**-Chapter One-

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**The Interview**

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On a late August evening, the Minister of Magic was reading an interview of himself in the _Wizard Times_. His almost whitish grey mane was sleekly combed, thus befitting the complacent paunch that now adorned his once alert auror's figure. There was a sudden knock at the door. The minister shoved the magazine under a pile of parchments and picked up an official looking leaflet. "Enter." He said briskly. The Head of the Muggle Relations Office walked in. He was a tall balding man with graying red hair. 

"Arthur!' cried Scrimegour genially. "What brings you here?"

The man did not smile. "Willy Widdershins." He replied grimly. "It seems he has been let off again."

"What.." the minister tried to recollect. "Ah yes you mean the Brighton incident. It was just a joke Arthur, we needn't get too serious about it."

"A joke?" Arthur Weasley repeated in disbelief. "He almost drowned about a dozen muggles! If Hestia had not been passing accidentally…"

"He just jinxed a few surfboards Arthur, you know these things happen when you are warm in summer after a few drinks and at a sea-side, I am sure he didn't mean any serious damage to those muggles and after all it's all been sorted out isn't it? These are happy times Arthur, we don't want to put people in prison for small things like this…I've had a talk with him and given him a warning. Don't get worked up so, my dear man." He paused, "And oh yes, Tonks was telling me, I believe your grandson is going to Hogwarts this year?"

"Yes,' replied Arthur, "along with the Lupin twins. They are of the same age."

"Of course, yes." Said the Minister. "And what is the fine young man called?"

"Ronald." He was silent for a minute, and then added, "Bill and Fleur decided to name their son according to their brother."

"Fitting remembrance!" exclaimed the Minister. "You had a brave son Arthur, the wizarding community owes so much to him and Potter, what a loss, what a loss (he shook his head sadly), so young, both of them…."he sighed. "Well Arthur, don't worry about Widdershin, he won't get up to any more mischief, I assure you…yes, thank you."

He went back to his magazine as Mr.Weasley left the room. Rita Skeeter had an admirable style.

------------X-------------

Not far away from Scrimegour's office, an interview of a different nature was taking place. In a dimly lit passage of the ministry, two men were engaged in a deep, urgent conversation.

"I must lay low for a while now," one of them was saying, "the Minister has given me a warning, not that it matters but that muggle-loving good-for-nothing Weasley will be watching me closely."

"So you are afraid of a muggle-lover, are you Widdershin?" replied the other contemptuously.

"I am not!" asserted the other in a low furious voice. "I can take on him any minute, I can even go underground. But you want me in the ministry don't you, you need all the information I am passing out while you keep your own skin safe."

"Your information!" repeated the other. "Yes that's so useful to me when you can't even create a simple diversion by drowning muggles without getting caught!"

Suddenly, Widdershin held up his hand, bidding his companion to stop. Then without another word, they both apparated.

A second later, auror Nymphadora Tonks Lupin appeared in the empty passageway and looked around. There was no one, not even a mouse.

"Wotcher!" she exclaimed. "Getting trained by that paranoid Moody is finally getting to me." Shaking her head, she disappeared through the dark labyrinths of power into her own office. The dim lamp still glowed, alone, like the mute witness of a spectre.

**N.B**: Please review.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: **I only own the characters of the new students. Everything else belongs to **JK Rowling.

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**-Chapter Two-**

**New Faces**

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Young Ron Weasley was excited. He was going to Hogwarts, finally. No more having to listen to Uncle Fred and Uncle George, he was going to see everything for himself. He wished Harry Potter's map of Hogwarts so he could prowl around like he had done with Uncle Ronald and Hermione Granger and Uncles Fred and George had done before them. Hermione Granger. Any story concerning Potter and Uncle Ronald inevitably mentioned her. Yet he could hardly believe that the strict, no-nonsense Ministry official he had met at various times could ever have been the friend of the two boys who always "went looking for trouble" as his Grandpa always said about them. Much that his parents liked Ms Granger and said she was a great witch, Ron had always been a little scared of her. 

A little before eleven Ron walked through the solid barrier between platforms nine and ten with his parents and stepped on to platform nine and three quarters. The Lupins, with their children Meg and Mark were already waiting at the other side.

"Nice hair, Tonks." Said his mum, smiling at Mrs. Lupin, Tonks shook her long mane which was an exact shade of mum's eyes- blue and laughed.

"Remus says I look dressed up for a muggle Halloween Party." Meg and Mark sniggered.

"What's a muggle Halloween party like Mr. Lupin?" asked Ron interestedly.

"I don't think there is time to explain that right now." His dad interrupted. "You need to get on the train."

Soon the three of them were on the train, waving at their parents from the door. Then the train sped up, the adults were left behind, and the journey began yet again, as it had always begins, on the first of September 2009.

Ron, Mark and Meg dragged their trunks through the train till they found an almost empty compartment. There was just one boy there, sitting alone and looking scared. Meg poked her head inside.

"Hi there, ' she said, "mind if we come in?"

"No problem." said the boy.

"Thanks." Said Meg, and walked in. "My name is Meg Lupin. This is my friend Ronald Weasley and this..." she looked at Mark, "this moronic monkey accidentally born in human shape is my brother, unfortunately."

Mark was busy rummaging his trunk for something and appeared not to hear his sister. The other boy was looking thoroughly bewildered. "My name is John Reeds." He said weakly.

Mark found whatever he was looking for, pocketed it, shut the lid and straightened up, turning to face John and offering his hand.

"Mark Lupin, as you already know, since my sweet sister (he looked nastily at Meg) has already introduced me. But she forgot to say something important about herself. She is a transfigured chimpanzee, remember this and beware of her, she bites and scratches."

Ron burst out laughing. John seemed to be learning fast too, because he said,

"That is interesting. So we have a monkey and a chimpanzee on the train. Do they teach magic to animals as well at Hogwarts?"

"Very funny." Said Mark shortly.

The twins decided to remain angry so the next few hours passed with Ron and John talking to each other with John, who was muggleborn, asking most of the questions.

At lunchtime a plump witch came in with her trolley. Ron bought a packet of his favourite chocolate frogs and took out the sandwiches made by grandma. Meg bought Bertie Bott's Ever Flavour Beans while John bought a bit of everything. Mark said he already had his sweets and took out the packet he had earlier taken out of his trunk and offered John one of the purple wrapped sweets. He shot Ron a warning look as the latter choked on his frog. The unsuspecting John took it, put it into his mouth and then yelled in horror as he found himself turning a deep shade of orange.

"Colour-changing toffees." Said Mark brightly, "from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, not released in the market yet, we got a special pack because they are Ron's uncles."

"Mark!' shouted Meg reproachfully," how can you be so mean? Here John," she held out a handful of beans, "take these."

Mark looked surprised. "Well, they are funny, aren't they? I mean they don't harm you; the colour wears off after a while. Look, I'm taking one."

A second later, he turned the exact shade of Mrs. Lupin's hair. John smiled shakily and took a bean and immediately spitted it out.

"That was vomit flavoured! Honestly, you call these things sweets?"

"But you were just unlucky John," said Meg, "these beans come with a variety of flavours, some good and a few…well, not so good. That's the fun anyway; you never know which flavour you are going to get. Try another bean."

"No thank you," replied John, "I don't think I like wizarding sweets."

The compartment door opened suddenly and three boys walked in. The two boys on the sides were large and strong. The middle one however was thin, dark and sullen. He stepped forward and looked around, pretending to breathe in deeply.

" Can you smell something rotten here?" he said loudly. The two others guffawed stupidly.

Mark stood up. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Cassius Nott." The boy replied haughtily, "Bernard Goyle and Luke Crabbe. Who are you?" he asked with the faintest hint of a sneer in his voice."

"Mark Lupin, and since we did not invite you here get out before…"

"Lupin? The werewolf? The rag-dressing mutant?" The sneer was now no more a hint.

Meg and Ron stood up too.

"My father is not a mutant and if you don't leave immediately…" began Meg hotly.

"So you are a Lupin too. And you I suppose," he added derisively, looking at Ron, " are a Weasley. Hey I saw you on the platform. Was that your dad with you, only I thought he looked like a scare-crow and my dad said he was half-werewolf too, and this, (he looked at John, who looked surprised) must be the one who doesn't like wizarding sweets, the mudblood we were…"

WHAM! Meg had punched him bang on the nose and was now pointing her wand at his chest. The three of them turned tail and scampered away.

"You will pay later." Yelled Nott from the door and vanished.

"Nice punch, Meg." Her brother remarked and they were friends again.

John was looking a little scared.

"What is a mudblood?" he asked. The other three looked at each other.

"Don't bother John." Said Mark firmly.

"It is an insult isn't it?" John insisted. "It sounds like I have dirty blood or something, because I am from a non-magic..."

"No you don't!" said Ron angrily, "but some wizards with an inflated ego like the Notts still believe that being so-called pure-blood makes them special. Don't listen to them John, they are not worth listening to. Here take a frog."

John hesitated.

"Take it," he said firmly. "all wizarding sweets are not bad." John nibbled an end of the frog cautiously, and then shoved the whole of it inside his mouth.  
"Check what card you got." Said Meg.

John held up the card and read aloud.

**Harry Potter**

_Born on 31st July 1980, died on 13th June 1998._

_Order of Merlin, First Class (posthumously)._

_Known as the 'Boy Who Lived', he was famous for having survived the killing curse __at the age of one and thus breaking the power of He Who Must Not Be Named for thirteen years, finally killing him seventeen years later in a final battle in which he himself perished. He had also won the Triwizard Cup in 1994 and was known for his courage and nobility._

"He Who Must Not Be Named?" John asked.

"Voldemort, the most feared dark wizard of the century. People are still afraid to say his name."

"And Harry Potter killed him?' John asked, "he was…what" he looked back at the card, "eighteen years old!"

"He was a great wizard." Said Ron proudly, "my Uncle Ron was his best friend. He died with him. My uncle's body was found, totally disfigured, but both Potter and Voldemort were blasted away."

"How did they know then? That they had died?" John asked, looking awe-struck.

"There was an eye-witness, their friend Hermione Granger." Meg answered.

"And besides, " Mark added, "the dark mark on the arms of Voldemort's followers vanished without a trace."

John still looked overcome. He looked down at his card. A bright eyed young boy with messy black hair and a strange scar on his forehead looked up at him, smiled, and then winking, slid out of the card, leaving a blank space there."

"He is gone!" cried John, dismayed.

"Don't worry. " replied Ron, " He will be back."

**Author's Note**: _I am not getting a very good response with this story. Those who are reading it, please tell me honestly if I should continue it. Constructive criticisms are welcome. _


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything except the plot and the house-elf Elvira.

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**-Chapter Three-**

**Time for Revenge**

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He was watching the stars from his bedroom window. The moonlight touched his pale face and his smooth hair, and gave them an almost surreal golden hue. He could have been mistaken for a marble statue had it not been for the billowing black robe that swept around him or for his gray eyes that had an unfathomable far-away look in them. At the sound of a knock he turned back. It took a fleeting second in which the door opened and a house-elf entered and bowed, but that look was lost, the hair was pushed firmly back and the eyes regained their usual icy dignity. The mask was back in place. 

"What is it, Elvira?" he asked.

The elf respectfully held out a silver-tray carrying a visiting card. Draco Malfoy picked it up and read the name. His brows furrowed.

"Nott? At this hour? What does he want?"

"He says he has something important to discuss with Master." The elf replied.

" Tell him to wait. I will be down in a moment."

The drawing room in the Malfoy mansion did not have its former grandeur anymore. It still looked elegant and spoke of the expensive tastes of its present owner, but something, perhaps, thought Theodore Nott, as he sat waiting, the special touch of power that had previously been there, was missing.

"I must say I am surprised, Nott, at this unusual visiting hour." Nott stood up as the other man entered and extended his hand.

"I am hoping you will count this surprise as a pleasant one, Malfoy, once you learn the reason for my visit." He stopped as the house-elf entered, carrying, a tray with two tall glasses, a silver jug and a bottle of fire-whisky.

"I hope Mrs. Nott and young Master Nott are all well?" Malfoy asked in the silence that ensued.

Nott looked up. Was there a sneer on Malfoy's face? But he relaxed immediately as he saw the latter's expression. Malfoy was merely being polite.

"Pansy is quite well, and Cassius has just started Hogwarts."

"How nice." Replied the other, unconcerned, "what is it you want to say, Nott?"

Theodore Nott took a deep breath. "Do you know what date it is tomorrow?"

"Fifth of September?" asked Malfoy with his eyebrows raised.

"Fifth of September it is, " replied Nott harshly, "you cannot have forgotten our humiliation this day, eleven years ago. How we had to say we were taken in, befuddled, confunded, how we had to beg at the trials to retain our freedom?"

"What do you want to say, Nott?" Malfoy asked, his voice revealing a complete lack of emotions.

"Three people," replied Nott, his voice barely audible, "three people were responsible for our downfall. Two of them had got the death they deserved, but the mudblood remains." He finished vehemently.

Something like a flicker of a shadow passed his face as he asked, "What will you do to her, Nott?"

Theodore Nott smiled evilly.

"Tomorrow," he said, his voice almost a whisper, "she faces trial, and humiliation. Her own friends have made it easier for us. Luna Longbottom recently wrote an article in that rubbish magazine of hers, projecting Granger as the next Minister of Magic. All I had to do was let Dolores Umbridge read that piece and she was only too eager to help us oust her. In fact," Nott said with a sneer, "that stupid woman believes it is she who is framing Granger, giving orders to Widdershin. Nobody knows we want her ousted and killed."

"So you will kill her?" Malfoy asked slowly.

"Not till we gain control of the wizarding world, then we will finish off everyone who stood against us, all of that filthy order."

"And that _control_ will be brought about by Willy Widdershin playing games with muggles?" Malfoy asked, his voice mildly contemptuous.

Nott flushed. It seemed Malfoy was aware of his activities. Well, that was one reason of his coming to see him. Even with their diminished power and influence, Malfoys knew everything. He remembered what Lucius Malfoy had been. He knew if he had Draco Malfoy in his side, he would be far more effective than a dimwit like Willy Widdershin. And he didn't think it would be difficult to convince him. Malfoy had always loved power.

"Do you remember what Roosevelt had once said? About the tempero orbis? " He asked.

"I do." Replied Malfoy. "But it was lost years ago. Bode had only heard about it from his predecessors who had learnt of it in the same way." What was Nott trying to say?

"Suppose we find it, Malfoy? Then power will be ours. We can avenge our defeat eleven years ago and rule the world. We will be the Dark Lord's loyal servants, even if he be dead."

At these words, Malfoy turned to look at the fire. Eleven years ago, he had come home to find his mother lying in a pool of blood on the floor, in front of the fireplace. This whole house was wreaked. It has taken him eleven years to rebuild everything, to rebuild his life. Eleven years was a long time. Nott was right. It was time for revenge. He turned to face him.

"Tell me your plans, Nott."

**-XXX-**

Daylight filtered in through the drawn blue curtains and fell on the pale walls of the room. Hermione Granger woke up and looked at the clock. It was seven in the morning. There was a tap on the window. She walked over to the window, pulled the curtains back and threw the window open. A brown owl flew in holding a rolled up newspaper in its beak. Hermione took the paper and dropped five knuts in the tiny pouch tied to the owl's leg.

In the kitchen, as she set the knife to cut the bread and the oranges to peel and squeeze by themselves, Hermione scanned the newspaper. Most of the first page was filled with details about the Grenville Crystal which was to be exhibited at Diagon Alley next week. There were also small reports about muggle-baiting here and there. Hermione grimaced. Heaven only knew what influence Willy Widdershin had that got him out of trouble all the time. At the bottom of the first page was an advertisement for a post in Hogwarts. Ginny had told her a couple of days ago that Alan Bingley, the transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts wanted to take a year off and travel. So far Mcgonnagall had not found a replacement for him so he was still there. It would be the first change in staff in 12 years, Hermione thought. Ever since Voldemort had died there had been no need to look for a new DADA teacher every year and Ginny had settled quite comfortably. Memories of Hogwarts came floating into her mind. But the clock chimed nine and Hermione shook herself out of the reverie.

People were crowding outside her office when she arrived. Hermione spotted Colin Creevey and called out to him.

"What's going on Colin? What are these people doing here?" She headed the Department of Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures and her department rarely got embroiled in controversies.

Colin mumbled something, looking confused and shocked. Annoyed, Hermione made to enter her office and find out what the source of all the confusion was but a man came forward and blocked her way.

"Good Morning Miss Granger," said Willy Widdershin, " the minister wants to see you."

Hermione stared hard at the man. He seemed to know something she didn't. She could see the ill-hidden leer on his face.

"Very well." She said. "I will go see him."

The minister was with Nott and Malfoy when she entered his office. Her already rising temper flared at the sight, but she checked herself. Seeing her, they stood up and started to leave.

"Have a nice day, Granger." Nott sneered as he passed her. Malfoy said nothing. He just looked at her and followed Nott out.

"What's the matter, Minister?" Hermione asked, not bothering to be polite.

"I should ask you, Miss Granger." Replied the minister coldly.

**-XXX-**

"You have been accused of financial discrepancy? You?" said Tonks with disbelief.

"I have been _charged _with _stealing_ the ministry's money Tonks, " replied Hermione through gritted teeth, "charged and convicted. The papers were all there to prove it. You would think if I really did it I would have the brains not to make the balance sheets so revealing but the person or persons who framed me seemed to have forgotten I got an outstanding NEWT in Arithmancy."

"But who would want to frame you Hermione"

"How about Malfoy and Nott? Or are you trying to say no one framed me?" Hermione stood up.

Tonks looked shocked. "Hermione I never meant that, you know.." But Hermione was already storming away.

She stopped only when she reached her own office which was now deserted except for Colin. She asked him to leave and then collapsed in her chair. She was sorry for shouting at Tonks who, she knew, believed her. But she couldn't help herself. She could not believe this was happening to her. She had known nothing except her work in the last ten years she had spent in the ministry; nobody doubted Hermione Granger's dedication. And now she was accused in a fraud case. She didn't know what to think.

There was a knock and Draco Malfoy came in. Hermione stood up, her right hand tightly holding her wand inside her robe.

**P.S**: _Believe me guys the chapters are connected. And since you know I update regularly, bear with me now that I have exams coming up. Please know that I will never abandon a story, I will be back._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Rowling except this plot.

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**-Chapter Four-

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**An Offer is Made**

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"Don't remember inviting you to my office, Malfoy." said Hermione in a tight voice.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "_Your_ office, Granger?" he smirked. "I was under the impression that you had been asked to vacate it."

Hermione controlled her impulse to hex him with a lot of difficulty. So he knew, the arrogant nosing pale-faced man knew she had been sacked and had probably come there to congratulate himself at his success in getting her ousted.

"I haven't submitted my resignation letter yet, Malfoy. Till the time I do it, however soon that may be, this office remains mine and I reserve the full right to throw out any man or insect I don't want here."

"And what if you don't have to resign?" Malfoy asked calmly, ignoring the insult.

Hermione was taken back. "What the hell do you mean Malfoy? Like you know, I have been _sacked, _for reasons you know better than me."

Malfoy ignored the hint again.

"The Ministry is not keen on a scandal with the meeting of The International Committee of Warlocks scheduled to be held in the country next month." Hermione could see the trace of a smirk in the corner of his lips. " They will let you stay if you compensate financially for the loss, in other words if you pay the fine as per Ministry regulations."

"And as I am _not_ the Queen of England," retorted Hermione angrily.

"I could pay the fine for you." He said quietly.

"And why do you want to bribe me, Malfoy?" asked Hermione with a calculating look, "Which of your dirty work must I cover up? No, don't tell me Malfoy, because you will only waste your time. Why don't you make donations like your father did? That will give you connections higher than mine, if you don't already have them." She finished with clenched fist. The nerve of him to even think of offering her money was infuriating to her.

"My father might have had his faults." The reply surprised her. "But he is dead, Granger, so let's not bring him in here. I was merely offering to help you."

Hermione did not reply. She finished, signed and sealed her resignation letter feeling all the while he was watching her, waiting for her reply. She collected her things and put them in a bag and then stopped as she saw the photograph on her table. It was taken years ago, so long back that it seemed those times had never been, inside the Great Hall. It showed three teenagers, one girl with bushy hair and loads of books in front of her, and two exasperated- looking boys. Picking the photograph and the letter in one hand, and the bag in the other, she walked past Malfoy without looking back.

**-XXX-**

"So you are sacked?" asked Ginny. They were talking inside her office at Hogwarts where she had invited Hermione for dinner. The latter had just finished relating the day's events to her.

"Yes." Replied Hermione bitterly. "I have a two-month respite because of this International Warlocks' Conference and then I face trial. Either that or I pay a fine of twenty thousand galleons, the amount I supposedly have stolen over the last eleven years."

"And Draco Malfoy offered to pay the entire amount for you?" Ginny asked, to confirm.

"Can you imagine his arrogance? He actually comes to bribe me, that evil slimy.."

"You get your job back and charges dropped if you pay this money?" Ginny asked, interrupting her outburst.

"Yes but that's hardly the point. This whole thing is a conspiracy to..Ginny?"

For Ginny had stood up and was now rummaging among her drawers for something. She found it at last and came back with it. It was a Gringotts key.

"Ginny..What?"

"I have never needed to use the money Harry left me. You take it, and save your job."

"No." Hermione replied firmly.

"Hermione, Harry would have wanted this. I am sure he would. You have as much right as I do over this key. You were his friend, you were with him till the last.." her hand shook though her voice was calm as she held out the key."Take it, Hermione."

"It's not about that, Ginny. I can't accept your offer because I can't pay the fine and accept the charges they have conjured against me. Harry wouldn't do it, and neither would Ron."

Ginny went and put the key back wordlessly.

"And now that you don't have a job, what do you plan to do these two months?" She asked after a silence.

"I don't know, haven't thought about it yet." Mused Hermione, "Maybe find some odd jobs in the muggle world."

"That won't be necessary." Someone said. Both of them looked around at the door.

"Minerva!" Said Ginny in surprise.

"I am sorry Professor Weasley, I was passing this way when I thought I heard Miss Granger's voice. You should go home now Miss Granger," she added to Hermione, "I will expect you to join work early tomorrow morning."

"I. ..what work are you.." Hermione began uncertainly.

"And now if excuse me, I need to go and see Professor Bingeley and tell him I have appointed a new transfiguration teacher and that he can take his leave."

Around the same time that Hermione Granger was leaving Hogwarts, back in London, a man in a black cloak knocked on the window of a certain shop in a dark and dingy street.

A stooping old man opened the door and on seeing who the visitor was, quietly let him enter.

"It is such a surprise." Said the man in an oily manner. "Young mister Malfoy in my shop. It has been a long time sir, why the last time you visited was"

"I don't have time to chat, Borgin." Draco Malfoy replied coldly.

"Ah of course I understand sir, forgive an old man's habit sir, so what can I do for you? I have some very interesting articles, you may like to see…"

"What do you know of the tempora orbis?"

Borgin dropped his professional manner and gave him a calculating look.

"The orb of power?" he asked, looking wary, "few people have ever heard about it. What do you want to know about it?"

Malfoy seemed lost for words. "Whatever you know Borgin, anything, everything." He finished a little forcefully.

Borgin continued to give him shrewd, measured looks.

"Where did sir hear about it? It becomes suspicious when people come knocking at the dead of night asking about a forgotten crystal ball supposedly having evil power."

Malfoy flushed. "You know who I am Borgin, you know the family I come from. Don't you try acting smart with me." He said in a deadly whisper.

"Oh I know who you are sir." Borgin smiled pleasantly, "and I remember the time when you threatened to set a werewolf on me. But surely times have changed?"

"Times have changed." Malfoy repeated slowly. "So you are refusing to help me?"

"No, not at all sir. You are the son of my old customer, I wouldn't dream of disappointing you. What I ask is only to satisfy an old man's curiosity."

"Well, I heard of it from Bode, then Roosevelt. They worked in the department of mysteries…"

"Ah but that must have been many years ago? A bit strange, you will agree sir with me, to seek information on something heard so long ago."

Without replying, Malfoy quietly slipped his hand inside the pocket. Borgin tensed visibly but relaxed when he saw that Malfoy was holding a purse, and not his wand.

Smirking slightly on seeing the change of colour on his face, Malfoy held out the purse to him.

"Times may have changed Borgin, " he added in a low voice, "but everything don't change with time."

"Of course Mister Malfoy, you are absolutely right," the man replied, rubbing his palms, "..now, about this tempora orbis…well, it's a legend Mister Malfoy."

"So you are saying it does not exist?" There was a trace of anger in his voice now.

"We, who deal with magical artifacts, Mister Malfoy, can never afford to dismiss anything by calling it a mere legend. The tempora orbis was brought to England in the 19th century and was connected to a legend much older than that, a legend that goes back to 6th century B.C India."

He looked at Malfoy, probably expecting some reaction, a sign of surprise, but Malfoy merely looked back at him without a single muscle of his face altered.

"It is said that an ancient Indian wizard created two orbs." He got his reaction this time.

"Two? There were two of them?" Malfoy asked.

"So the legends go, sir. Now these orbs contained immense power and it was said that the one who owns them can become powerful if he knows how to use it. After this wizard died, the orbs were lost and there were hundreds of stories, legends, myths about them. In the year 1868, a British muggle called Edward Mortimer found a crystal ball in a beach in the Western coast of India and enchanted by it, brought it home to England. Now no one knows if it was one of those two orbs, but it certainly was magical and this poor muggle," he smiled derisively, "got into trouble with it the ministry had to rescue him and modify his memory. It was quiet a lot of work actually, because the story of the strange crystal had made its way to the muggle newspapers before the ministry arrived. Meanwhile the Indian Wizarding leaders got wind of it, and claimed that the orb was one of that legendary pair and belonged to them. The English ministry ofcourse ignored this and the orb went to the department of mysteries. Now since public memory is short, you have to acknowledge wizards are very similar to muggles in this respect, people forgot about it. But the story of the mysterious orb passed on among the unspeakables in the Department of Mysteries."

He stopped.

"What happened after that?" Malfoy asked.

"After that Mister Malfoy? Well, it disappeared or was stolen." He picked up a brush a started dusting the miniature vodoo dolls on his desk.

Malfoy saw that Borgins was not going to say anymore, and he felt satisfied. Nott's theory was confirmed, and he had learnt something new as well.

"What's that skull thing you've got over there Borgins?" he said suddenly, pointing at a shelf.

"Ah sir you've got good taste. Let me show it to you."

Malfoy saw him ambling towards the shelf, his back turned towards him and slowly took out his wand.

"Borgin?" he called, and the man turned, "Obliviate." The man slumped down on his stool. Malfoy slowly reached out and took the purse from the desk, pocketed it and opening the door quietly, vanished into the night outside.

**-XXX- **

Old timers said that Minerva Mcgonagall did not quite have Dumbledore's aura of power. But nobody denied her authority, her talents, or her capability as Hogwarts headmistress. In the twelve years that she had run Hogwarts, there had been no incident to harm the reputation of the school. She got on fairly well with the ministry as nobody tried to interfere, having probably learnt from past mistakes. But now, that state of peaceful co-existence was in danger.

"Minerva!" shouted Rufus Scimegeour, "you cannot appoint Hermione Granger as a teacher in your school."

The headmistress looked up from the pile of complaints that Filch the caretaker had submitted and remarked calmly,

" Really Rufus? I was under the impression that it was my job to appoint my staff-members."

"You must sack her." The minister insistewd stubbornly.

"And why exactly must I, Rufus, if you care to explain?"

"Because..because.." the minister was stuttering in rage.

"Because she is a convict. You will be setting a bad example for the students." Dolores Umbridge finished it.

Minnerva looked straight into her eyes.

"I believe Dolores most students are thrilled to haveHermione Granger as their teacher. And Hogwarts is definitely proud to have the witch who contributed to the fall of the most evil wizard of our times. Moreover, to my knowledge, Miss Granger is no convict as there have been no cases against her. You might of course begin your trial right now but I am not sure you have the time for it, with the International Warlocks' Conference coming up."

The door opened and Ginny and Hermione came in, both stopping dead at the sight of the visitors.

" I am sorry for interrupting Minerva, " said an amused voice from one of the portraits of former heads on the wall, "but I think it is my duty to remind you about the meeting you were supposed to have with Firenze this morning, about a few changes in the Divination syllabus."

Minnerva seemed perplexed for a split second and then suddenly jumped up,

"Oh yes I completely forgot. Professor Granger," she said to Hermione, completely ignoring Scimegeour and Umbridge, "will you please go and bring him to my office?"

"Yes Professor." Hermione walked out, suppressing a smile.

"Very well, Minerva." Said a very red Umbridge, "you may keep her here for two months. After that she will be charged and sent to Azkaban."

"Hem, hem.' Ginny cleared her voice and said with a perfectly straight face, " I suppose she will have a trial before she is charged, Ms Umbridge?"

Umbridge merely glared at her. "Come Minister." She said, and after nodding threateningly at them, the minister too swept off wordlessly after his senior undersecretary.

Minnerva smiled at the portrait on the wall.

"Thank you, Albus."

"Not at all, my dear friend." Said Albus Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

**N.B**: _So what do you think? Do you get the Indian connection and see why I introduced the Hogwarts Express chapter? Keep reading and reviewing my stories. Imperio! Oh no it was not I who did the unforgivable curse, the tempora orbis was controlling me. Please Minister… _

_Like you know, I have exams coming up. Please bear with me if I update late.._


	6. The New Teacher

**DISCLAIMER**: J.K Rowling owns everything recognizable.

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**-Chapter Four- **

The New Teacher

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"Stop complaining Ron, she's not so bad. In fact she is rather nice." Meg tried to reason with him.

"She is too strict!" Ron replied, "I mean why does it have to happen in _our_ year?"

"How do you know Professor Bingeley would not be stricter than he?"

"Nobody's worse than her." Ron replied stubbornly.

"Stop being so stupid, Ron." Mark reasoned. "At least you have another teacher whom you had known all your life, other than Professor Weasley."

"You are comparing Aunt Ginny with Hermione Granger?"

"Was not Hermione Granger a friend of Harry Potter and your uncle?" asked John.

"Yeah, she was. Beats me how!"

Ron was not at all pleased to have Hermione Granger as his Head of House. When he was five, he had once visited her with his parents. While the adults were having an extremely dull conversation about the affairs at the ministry, he had strayed off and found Crookshanks, Hermione's cat. Few days before that he had stolen an old wand from the attic of his house and he was carrying it with him. He decided to try an engorgement charm on the cat but the magic went out of hand and not knowing the reverse spell, he had simply stuffed a few shrinking pills he had got from his twin uncles' shop into the open mouth of the angry cat, locked it in the room and run away. The visit had ended shortly after that and he had gone home feeling relieved. But though he had returned the cat to more or less normal size, Hermione had somehow got wind of something wrong, had come to see his parents who had forced the truth out of him after a resounding flogging. Worse, the wand had been confiscated and he had not been allowed to have anything from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes for a while and even his uncles' combined stealth had failed to smuggle stuff to him. And since then, whenever they had met, Hermione Granger had made sure to keep an extra eye on him and caught him whenever he tried to do something that he was not supposed to do. Having her here in Hogwarts was not going to make things easier. What was worse was that Mark and Meg, who got up to an equal amount of mischief, had never been caught by her. Meg could call her nice, Ron thought angrily, she or her brother had never been told off by her.

They arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast with these divided moods and minds, Meg and Mark happy, John eager and excited and Ron looking like he had just been sentenced to Azkaban.

They had their first transfiguration class right after breakfast and so they made their way towards the third floor when they came face to face with Nott, Crabbe and Goyle. All four of them clutched their wands at the sight of them. They had been trying to get back at them since Wednesday's potion class where Nott had dropped porcupine quills into John's boiling potion, causing it to explode and injuring John.

"Off to your first class with Granger, then?" Nott asked sneering. "Well, I hope Reeds doesn't have any more accidents in her class, because she's already in enough trouble without losing this job as well." Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"What do you mean, _lose_ her job? She resigned from the ministry to teach here because Professor Mcgonagall needed a replacement for Bingeley." Meg replied angrily.

"Don't you know Lupin that Granger has been sacked for stealing? Haven't your parents told you? But may be the ministry doesn't trust the families of half-blood mutants."

"I swear I will kill you Nott, you filthy lying little piece of…."

"MARK! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" A livid-looking Aunt Ginny came into view. Mark stopped his attempt to strangle Nott, but he faced her defiantly.

"Professor, they were insulting my father and…"

"There can be no excuses for your outrageous behavior, Mr. Lupin, ten points from Gryffindor. And the you, " she looked at the Slytherins, get back to class."

The three boys stalked off, smirking in a satisfied manner.

"You took off points only from _us_ Aunt…" Ron began furiously.

"I expected better sense of you Ron, and Mark, than to rise to their baits. If you get provoked by everything they say towards you or your family you will end up doing detentions everyday, and is this any time to get into brawling, don't you people have class?"

"We _were_ going to class before they stopped us…" John began timidly but Meg cut in.

"We were going to Professor Granger's class and talking of her, you should have heard some of the things Nott was saying about her."

"What was he saying?" She asked with a sudden alert expression.

"Some nonsense about her being sacked from the ministry because she stole something. How he can even think of saying such a …"

'Do not tell Professor Granger about this, Meg." Ron was shocked to see the expression of cold fury on her face; "I will have a word with those three about not spreading lies among the students."

"But Aunt, shouldn't we report this to our Head of the House, since it was about her?"

'I said 'NO' Ron. If you mention this to her I am going to tell Bill to take you home, and the same goes for the rest of you. Get to your class now, you are late." And she turned away, leaving them stare open-mouthed after her.

"Five points for being late.' Professor Granger said.

'What a day!" groaned John, "Fifteen points lost early in the morning."

Granger probably heard their whispers, so she turned, looking furious, "five points from _each_ of you and if you don't settle down now it will be detentions."

The other Gryffindors, Shawn Finnigan, Julie Jordan, Abhinav Agrahari and Susan Dashwood, were giving them scandalized looks. They had just lost 20 points for their house. They settled at the very last benches silently.

"As I was saying, transfiguration is a difficult subject, Weasley, pay attention. Next time I will throw you out of my class and not let you return till the next term." Ron hastily scratched out the note hew was trying to pass Mark. She had some eyes, this Hermione Granger.

"You cannot learn transfiguration out of a book the night before the exam. If you want to do well, you must do your homework regularly and properly, revise your daily work, and practise what you learn in class. You also need to read the next chapters so you can follow what is being done in class. If you can't do this, don't come to my class. Any questions?"

Everybody stared at her and at each other.

'In that case, I think we might begin with today's work. Miss Jordan will you please distribute these match-sticks from this box?" she indicated a small cardboard box on her table. Then she set all of them to turn the matchsticks into a needle.

At the end of the class, John had managed to produce a perfect shiny needle, while Meg produced a very rusty one and Mark's needle was still blunt and woody in the ends. Ron's matchstick on the other hand was only halfway transfigured. It was half woody and half shiny.

"Try again Weasley, you have done half already." Granger said, as she stopped in front of the desk he and Mark were sharing.

Ron gave another wave over it and the whole thing caught fire. He groaned mentally, that was another ten points gone.

"Do you know a water-producing charm, Weasley?" Ron shook his head.

Granger put out the fire with a flick of her wand. "And your uncles have not yet produced a water-pill or something?" she asked casually, in a low voice which only Mark and he could hear, being on the same bench. Ron stared and then she actually smiled.

"You know Ron, I've been a student too, so don't think you can pass notes in my class without me noticing it." She moved away from their table and reaching her desk, called out in a louder voice, "Come and get another matchstick, Weasley."

"Why do you think your aunt asked us not to mention what Nott said to Professor Granger?" Mark asked. "It can't be true, can it?"

"Of course not!" Ron said angrily. At any rate he would have never believed it about Granger, but now that he had just decided to change his opinion about her, he was feeling even angrier about Nott's lie.

" I wonder why she left the ministry, though." Meg mused, 'I remember her telling mom once that she would never consider teaching here because she just couldn't face coming here and being reminded of her schooldays with-you know-her friends. And she was also very involved with elf-rights, her job was just perfect for her."

"You are not believing Nott, are you?" Ron asked her.

"I don't think she's done or will ever do anything wrong, but…Hi Abhinav, you're looking excited?"

Abhinav had just come running, holding a letter.

"Yes, " he replied, looking excited, "I got a late owl right now, it's from my mother. She says one of my cousins from India is coming here tonight."

"Really?" they chorused.

"Yes, she's representing India in the Warlocks' meet, and she is coming to meet Professor Granger. According to mom she's really surprised that Granger left her job, she's going to ask her about it, I think."

"That's great Abhinav." Ron said, "when is she coming?"

"Around seven I think, she will have dinner here. Well, I better be going, I will be late for herbology."

"I think we should be going too, we have lost enough points for one day."

"You go along, I need to go to the owlery."

"Can't it wait till lunch, Ron?' Meg began, but Ron cut in.

"You lot go, I will come back after sending a quick owl to my uncles."

"But why now, Ron?"

"I need the new improved extendable ears before seven today." And he tore away towards the staircase, leaving his friends standing there with their mouths hanging open.

"That boy will die, he will." Mark said wisely, "Honestly, he's trying to spy on _the_ Hermione Granger."

"Extendable _what_?" asked John in a very confused voice.

**P.S**: _I hope you like this, if you don't, be kind. I am off to lunch, bye_.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: If anything looks familiar, then that obviously doesn't belong to me!

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**-Chapter Six-

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**Spying on the Past

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**

Hermione Granger looked down at the rolls of parchment on her desk. It was useless to try anymore. She wouldn't be able to correct any of this homework today. A red-haired boy with eyes screaming mischief kept popping up in her mind instead of the correct definition and incantations for switching spells. She put her quill down and reflected on her first class with the young Gryffindors. It was a good class, she mused. In their times, she had been the only one to make any difference to her matchstick in their first transfiguration class. Well, she always did manage to do thing before the others, and it did not always please her classmates. She remembered their first Halloween at Hogwarts- the charms class and the memorable afternoon that had followed it. Wingardium Leviosa! There was a question on this in their O.W.L s paper four years later. The examiner could have hardly known the story behind it. In Hogwarts, there was a story behind every little thing- from the table in the common room where Crookshanks had once turned an ink-bottle over Ron's potions homework, to the Beech tree in the grounds under which she had consented to 'look over' Ron's and Harry's History of Magic essays, to the tapestry on the second floor where they had once hid from Filch, to the painting of that mad knight in the North Tower, every wall, nook and corner of this eternally enchanting place seemed to whisper with tales about students that have come, and left to make their name in the world outside. She forced back the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. This was the reason she had never wanted to come back here. She knew the memories would kill her. There was a knock on the door and Ginny came in, followed by Nisha Sharma, the representative from India and a very vocal campaigner for elf-rights.

"Hermione, what made you quit your job in the ministry?" the dark-haired woman demanded, as Hermione put away the homework she had attempted to correct that afternoon.

"Give her time to welcome you, will you?" Ginny laughed, but Hermione could see her looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"She promised to finalize a bill on India-England cooperation in the elf-freedom movement when I came to England, and now I come and find she's resigned, what kind of a welcome is that?"

"I am really sorry about it Nisha, but believe me, I had no choice in the matter. It seems the ministry doesn't want me to work with them anymore…ah, Professor Mcgonagall, please come in." she pulled out a chair for the older woman.

"I heard Nisha was here, so I thought I would come and see her." Mcgonagall replied.

"I would have gone to see you Professor," said Nisha, "Professor Ray sends his greetings to you."

"Yes, I meant to enquire about him too." Mcgonagall replied, "It's been about eleven years since we've met. The last time I saw him was when he came to attend the Warlocks' convention in 2008. How's he doing?"

"He's doing fine, Professor."

"Really? Why doesn't he come for meetings, then?" she asked.

"Well, it's a bit strange." Nisha said, "He does not even attend the national seminars and meetings. One of the teachers there was telling me it's because he does not want to leave Dost Sahib alone."

"And who's Dost Sahib?" Ginny asked, sounding curious. She and Hermione had never met Rudrapratap Ray, but they both knew he had been a friend of Dumbledore and was therefore eager to know about him.

Nisha shrugged. 'I dunno, some squib." She said. "No one knows where he came from, and what he does, he just stays at Kalpadrum. He has been there for some years now. All we know is he is a friend of Rudra Ray and a foreigner. That's why the students call him Dost Sahib. Dost means 'friend'. Sahib is a title for a foreigner. We don't even know his real name."

Hermione stood up. "Shall I make some tea before Dobby brings in the dinner?" she asked, and crossing the room, went to the cupboard where she kept biscuits and cakes. As she was rummaging through the contents, she felt something brush her robe. As she poured out the tea in three cups, Mcgonagall looked at her. "Hermione, won't you have some tea?"

"Of course, Professor, I just want to excuse myself so I can go and invite Hagrid. Do you mind?"

**-XXX-**

"When will Abhinav's cousin stop talking about this stupid Dost Sahib? I am feeling sleepy." Ron complained.

"Well, its your aunt who's asking all the questions, Ron." Mark pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess she does not want her to go back to the topic of Granger's resignation again."

"What can the ministry have against her?" Meg wondered.

"Guys…" said John suddenly, "I think I can hear footsteps."

"What?" Ron asked, "Okay, may be they are walking around inside Granger's office."

"Why don't you understand, the footsteps are not inside the office, they are…" There was no need for John to complete the sentence, for they found out then and there where the footsteps were coming from, for the broom cupboard they were hiding in opened suddenly, and they found themselves face to face with a livid looking Granger.

"What do you think you are doing?" she asked in a deadly whisper.

Meg mumbled something indistinct about having lost her pet.

"Really?" Granger asked. "And since when did owls hide inside broom cupboards?"

Ron groaned silently. They were done for it this time.

"Twenty points from each off you. I am ashamed of you. Aren't you even concerned about your House at least, if you are not concerned about school rules? Out of bed on your first week here, what do you think you are up to? Now go back to bed, all of you, if you don't want to be taken to the Headmistress. And you will need to hand over your joke stuff.

When the four first years had disappeared, Hermione examined the extendable ears she had confiscated from them. Fred and George had definitely come a long way since the days of trying to spy on Order meetings and being found out by their mother. These latest models of extendable ears had longer strings which were chameleon-like instead of being flesh coloured like the first varieties. Well, she would need to take a leaf out of Mrs. Weasley's book, and put an imperturbable charm on her door in future. The tears that she had held back earlier suddenly spilled out without any warning, and a soft smile shone on her lips, unseen in the dark. Well, those kids, really….so much has changed, yet these children, they seemed just the same.

**Author's note**: _Please review and be kind._


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: The Grenville Crystal has been mentioned earlier in Chapter Four, in the part where Hermione reads the newspaper. I hope you remember.**

**DISCLAIMER: If anything looks familiar, then that obviously doesn't belong to me!

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**-Chapter Seven-**

**Yesterday Once More

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**

'**Augustus Grenville**: _Born- 21st June 1793, Died- 16th July 1906._

_Famous Seer, believed to have made around three thousand accurate prophecies in a divination career spanning the last fifteen years of his life. Had also served the ministry as an auror till 1886 when he lost his left arm in a successful battle against Durgul, the most powerful and evil wizard of his times. _

**The Grenville Crystal**: _Augustus Grenville observed the intricate and complicated paths of future and fate through the orb. Crystal gazing was his favoured and only way of reading the future. He was never known to have any interest with other forms of reading such as tealeaves and astrology, or tarot cards. As a result, the orb used by him became as famous as his prophecies themselves. It was lost after his death, and discovered only recently by the Department of Historical Artifacts of the Ministry of Magic. The discovery is a priceless piece of modern wizarding history and the Ministry of Magic pays tribute to a genius through this exhibition.' _

Draco Malfoy read these lines with a lazy, almost amused expression. He was standing in front of an ordinary-looking crystal ball, encased by a glass casing. The words were embossed on a golden plate in front of the orb. He looked around the hall. It was full of people who had come to visit the exhibition on Augustus Grenville, the famous seer, and to see his famous crystal orb. There were also other articles on display: Grenville's wand, articles written by him, old Daily Prophet articles on him and so on, old documents and scrolls which had been rotting in the Ministry archives over the years. The crystal however, being the latest discovery, formed the centre-stage. His eyes scanned the visitors. There was Luna Lovegood with a quill and a notebook, and wearing her old spectrespecs. She was explaining in a loud dreamy voice that the orb on display was not a real orb, that it was actually a highly dangerous weapon the ministry intended to use on the people, to a wearied looking Padma Boot. Smirking slightly, he turned back towards the Grenville crystal and took out his wand. No one noticed the flash of white light that momentarily appeared on the glass casing, or the wispy shimmering golden chain that entwined itself around the casing and vanished with the dazzle of the light.

**-XXX-**

Ginny was checking her day's timetable when the brown owl dropped the newspaper on her table. She paid the owl and picked the paper up and immediately gasped out in shock. The front page was taken up entirely by two stories, the theft of the Grenville Crystal from ministry-organised exhibition in Diagon Alley, and the other more terrible and more shocking news: that of the murder of fifty muggles at Dorset, and the Dark Mark left on the spot hovering over the bodies. Ginny quickly scanned through the article: there was not much to learn. There had been no witness, nobody saw who murdered those people, the ministry had got wind only after the act has been committed and the criminals escaped. She read on. The Minister of Magic was asking people not to panic, aurors were hunting for the murderers, and of course_, respectable wizards Mr. Nott and Mr. Malfoy had assured the ministry of their full cooperation in their aim to track the murderers, as well as financial support for the damage already done!_

"Filthy scoundrels!" thought Ginny angrily. She flung the newspaper down just as the door to her office opened and the paper hit the person on the face.

"Oh, Hermione! I am sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Throwing things around would hardly help matters, Ginny." said the dark-haired woman, as she closed the door behind her.

"Have you read?" asked Ginny, "Nott and Malfoy have gone to offer their support and the ministry's lapping up their gold. Will these people never learn, honestly!"

"I have read the rest of the paper too, Ginny." Hermione said as she picked the paper up and glanced at it. " Look's like Rita Skeeter's quite enjoying herself. With these killings and the theft of that stupid orb, she's got the opportunity to trumpet the fact that the security system has totally broken down, that the whole of wizard-kind is about to end up dead any moment, that Voldemort is back…"

"Well, you can't blame people if they believe her, I mean, the Dark Mark has not been seen for eleven years." Ginny murmured.

"That's no excuse to publish all these rubbish. We all know that every deatheater knew how to conjure the Dark Mark. And we also know that every deatheater did not end up in Azkaban. I don't see why people can't think of the obvious. Nobody even thinks of suspecting Nott and Malfoy. And for the ministry's stupidity, fifty muggles lose their lives. Who knows what will follow."

Ginny did not reply. She was staring at the leering Dark Mark photograph. Voldemort's sign- she had an old acquaintance with it. Her life had been as much shattered as Hermione's had been, eleven years back. The difference lied in the ways in which they had dealt with it. They had both returned to Hogwarts after the war, Hermione for a year, and Ginny for two. They both needed their N.E.W.T s to get jobs. Hermione had joined the Ministry and absorbed herself in her work, rarely ever coming back to the school unless for official reasons. Even during her last year as a student, she had hardly existed here, always drowned in books, not talking except to answer a question in class. Ginny knew she was afraid of facing her memories in Hogwarts. For Ginny, it was different. After working abroad for two years, she had returned to Hogwarts. She chose to remain in this school which had given so much to her, and to live and relive her memories through the students. She did not want to leave the place so connected with memories of her brother, her lover, and so she gave up her dream of becoming an auror. And after all, had she been an auror, she would be forced to remember every moment that somebody else had had the same dream, and had died before being able to realize it. During the early years of her career, she had often invited Hermione to her office for dinner, but she gave up as the other kept persistently refusing them. Instead, she left the school on certain weekends to go and meet her friend. Till the sacking had completely broken her a few days back, Hermione had never come to visit Ginny at Hogwarts. Their grief was similar, the expressions contrasting.

Hermione noticed her silence and followed her eyes, which were still fixed on the photograph.

" Ginny?" she asked gently, "you don't believe it, do you? I saw him die. Voldemort won't come back."

"Of course I know he's dead." Ginny replied quietly. "It's this knowledge that helped me deal with…it would have been so meaningless, otherwise." A short silence followed till Ginny spoke again. " Have you seen this about the Grenville Crystal?" she said in an effort to change the topic, "They took it from the exhibition held by the ministry, that's almost equal to stealing something from the Ministry premises itself!"

Hermione didn't look concerned. "Ginny, there are people dying! I can't believe the Prophet is giving equal attention to that and the theft of an orb belonging to a dead Seer. It's just an old and useless orb, isn't it? Whatever the historical value, it can't be more important than the value of the lives lost."

"Yes, but it seriously undermines the security-system."

Hermione shrugged, "You are right, I guess. But they will find it. Do I meet you in the Great Hall for breakfast, in say, five minutes?"

Ginny nodded. As Hermione left the room, she crossed the floor and went over to the window from where she could see the quidditch grounds- the grounds of so many memories. From the window, she could figure out seven figures in blue. The Ravenclaw team was training. Her eyes followed them on their brooms and into the sky. There were clouds in the horizon.

**P.S**: _Be nice, review, and make sure you visit my brand new blog(link in profile)._


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: If anything looks familiar, then that obviously doesn't belong to me!

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**-Chapter Eight-

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**Chaotic Times

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**

It was a rather busy day at Gringotts. Apart from the routine daily transactions, the staff had to deal with a large number of foreigners who had come to exchange currencies and to visit the oldest wizarding bank of the world. Bill Weasley had just finished explaining the galleon-sickle-knut system and showing the magically created ceiling to a group of Japanese diplomats when he saw Griphook approaching him. 'If that goblin gives me another guide duty I am going to punch his long nose into a squashed tomato.' Bill thought angrily.

"Mr.Weasley has a visitor- a Mrs.Lupin." The goblin informed him.

"What? Oh er..all right, tell her I am here." Why on earth would Tonks visit him in the bank? "What's with the hair?" he asked as she entered.

"Don't ask." Tonks said irritably, as she shook a brown strand off her face. "Pink supposedly doesn't look proper with so many foreign dignitaries around. Honestly, the way Scrimegeour is ranting at us all day you would think we have never got any work done!"

"So you are having a bad day at work as well?" Bill asked.

"_A_ _bad day_? You don't know what you are talking about Bill, it's been like hell since morning! Anyway, I've come to ask for your help in the Grenville Crystal matter. The ministry believes that the person or persons who stole it have done it for its value in gold and will sell it to some collector. Perhaps you can tell me if there has been an exchange of a large amount of gold between some Gringotts account. "

Bill sighed. "Do you think we haven't already checked Tonks? The ministry is driving us mad. Add this to the foreigners around and well…my job isn't going to well either."

"Well, I thought you might have checked already." Tonks said in a disappointed tone.

"I can't believe the Ministry is more worked up with the theft than the muggle-killings.' Bill commented lightly.

"Well, it's because people are trying to connect the two incidents and the Ministry is determined to play it down. They want to prove that those killings were just a stray incident and this is just a petty theft."

"Do you think they are related?" Bill asked.

"I don't know what to think," mused Tonks, "a lot of things have been happening lately- first Hermione gets sacked, then a high security item gets stolen from right under the Ministry's nose, and then these killings and the Dark Mark. Things are not exactly looking good. And Luna says she saw Malfoy in the exhibition the day it got stolen. "

"Have you questioned Willy Widdershins?" Bill asked, "Dad was saying he's been involved in some muggle-baiting recently."

"I wanted to." Tonks replied, " But he's suddenly gone on leave. Says he needs rest as he accidentally burnt his arm. I am thinking of asking Hermione to help, unofficially of course."

"Hermione?" Bill asked sounding surprised.

"Yes. She's got some experience of tracking down things- I mean, during the last war…she did help. Anyway, at least I'm going to try and I've also got to tell her sorry for my tactless reaction when she got scrapped. I am going to Hogwarts on the pretext of meeting my children, you can come too, Bill."

"I think I will.' Bill replied thoughtfully.

**-XXX-**

"The two of you are here to find the Grenville Crystal?" Hermione asked with disbelief.

"Precisely." Bill replied.

"But when have I ever said I was interested in divination stuff?" she asked.

'Hermione, please try and understand. It's like bedlam at the ministry right now. You've got to help us." Tonks pleaded.

"Well, I am not missing the place." Hermione commented wryly. "How exactly can I help you from here?"

"Well, you can take a look at these files." Tonks said brightly, clearly delighted at Hermione's decision to help and thrusting a large file into her hand, "I must report to duty now."

Hermione sighed at the fat file in her arms. Exactly what she needed-more work, and that too for that stupid Ministry she hated so much at present. Tonks will never change.

"Did you meet your wards, Mrs.Tonks and Mr.Weasley?" she asked in a Head-of-the-House tone.

'We did, Professor." Bill replied solemnly, "Our children told us they are loving the school, the lessons and _all _the teachers."

Hermione glared at him.

After they were gone, she tried to correct the essays handed in by the fourth year Hufflepuffs, but she could not concentrate. The file on her desk was intriguing her. Finally, she gave up the homework and took the file up instead. There were two large photographs of the exhibition centre- one with the orb and the other taken after it was stolen. She observed them closely- there was not much difference in them except the presence and absence of the orb. She read the information on the description-plate. Augustus Grenville had been an auror! The information surprised her. The wizards or witches who possessed the 'Inner Eye' (no matter how much she hated this term of Trelawney) were rarely good with the wand! Moreover, Grenville seemed to have discovered his future-telling skills rather late in his life- only after retiring after killing Durgul! That was rather unusual. Durgul was the most powerful dark wizard of the times- the contemporary Voldemort, perhaps. Voldemort…the Dark Mark has been seen again, he couldn't be back, could he? But he had come back before, Hermione argued with herself, he had come back in their fourth year after thirteen years. But last time it was different, she reasoned again, they had destroyed all the horcruxes and she had herself heard Harry shout the killing curse while before that he had only lost his body when his curse rebounded- and ended up transferring his powers to Harry. Transfering his powers- could that be it? Hermione took up the file again. What powers did Durgul have? She couldn't see how this could help her find the missing orb, but she decided to check the library anyway.

**-XXX-**

"Can't you do a single work without messing it up?" Nott shouted at Widdershins, "Now all the aurors are looking for the missing orb. And then I asked you to kill some muggles to divide their attention and you had to go and put up a Dark Mark so that people immediately come and suspect us!"

"I keep telling you I didn't put the Dark Mark."

"Who else was there except you?" Nott demanded.

Widdeshins remained silent.

"There is an easy way to find out if you did or did not put up that mark, Widdershins." said a voice from the door.

They looked up to find Draco Malfoy standing there.

"Well, give us your wand and we will check." He said.

Widdershins handed his wand over to Nott.

"Priori Incantetum." He shouted.

A ghostly green skull erupted out of the wand's end.

Widdershin looked thoroughly bewildered while Nott looked murderous. Malfoy's expression was calm and unfathomable.

"Believe me, I honestly don't remember putting up that mark." He said weakly.

"Really?" Nott asked, "You actually think we will buy your story?"

"For my part," said Malfoy lazily, "I could never understand why a replica of the orb was left instead of the real one, as the original plan was? All these killings would not have been necessary then."

" There was an extra protection in place!" Widdershin pleaded again, "the orb could not be replicated. I did try, see what happened to my arm." He held up his bloodstained right arm for them to see.

"We have seen it before. But it was your job as the ministry insider to find out all the protections, a job in which you of failed miserably." Nott said aggressively.

"Well since all of have so many bright ideas, why don't you do the wok yourself?" Widdershin shouted, finally losing his cool.

"I don't think we should be fighting amongst ourselves right now." Malfoy remarked casually, with the hint of a smirk on his face. Nott threw a contemptuous glance at Widdershin, saying nothing.

"I think we should end our meeting here, it's quite late." Goyle said nervously.

A minute later Draco Malfoy apparated in his study room in the Malfoy mansion. The house-elf Elvira was waiting for him.

"Dawlish, the auror had been to see Master." She squeaked.

"Did he leave a message?"

In reply the elf handed him a piece of parchment. On it was scrawled a single sentence-

'_Hermione Granger has escaped to India to avoid trial'._

**P.S: **_For the purpose of this story, I am assuming inter-nation apparition is not allowed without some kind of wizarding equivalent t of a passport. Hermione had to use an unauthorized portkey to escape and the ministry, which was watching her steps, has got wind of it. I will be back after my university exams-that's till 11th Sept. _


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I reckon the plot is mine, so are the Indian characters, but everything else is Rowling's of course.

* * *

**

**-Chapter Nine-**

_Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam_

_Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn._

**(_Ode To A Nightingale, _John Keats)

* * *

**

**The Journey Begins Again**

She watched the white waves of the sea break upon the sand. Tourists and local people had made quite a crowd in the beach. The salty wind brought in echoes of the trade-cries of vendors selling pani-puris, bhelpuris and pawbhajis. Yet, for everything she could see from her window, she, along with the hotel, was completely invisible to the muggles below. Not that it would help her much if they sent aurors after her. Sighing, Hermione Granger turned away and returned to her rolls of parchments scattered on the teakwood table. But it was hard to concentrate. She was on run from the law. She, Hermione Granger, the stickler for rules and regulations, had run away to escape imprisonment. She knew that was how it would be reported in the Prophet now. And the embezzlement story would come out too. She wondered what Ginny and Mcgonagall would think about it. The latter had fought with the Minister to appoint her as a teacher, and now she had let her down. She felt guilty, but what else could she have done? She looked down at the notes she had hastily scribbled in the Hogwarts library.

Grenville, whose missing orb was making headlines, had once defeated the Dark Wizard Durgul. The same Durgul had once stolen an orb from the Ministry itself. An orb which was supposed to have mysterious powers, an orb which had been found here in India on the coast of the Arabian Sea, an orb which the Indian wizard community claimed, was one of the two orbs- the two mahashaktigolaks which bestowed great powers to their owners. She now knew who had stolen the Grenville crystal and she could make a connection between the sudden muggle-killings. She was Hermione Granger. She had helped stop Voldemort 11 years ago. She had to stop his followers now. She picked up the wizard map of India she had borrowed from the reception. It had been stupid to come to Bombay. She had decided to come here because she knew the first orb had been found here. But she could hardly expect to be lucky enough to find the other orb lying on the beach. She needed to study more about it. And the best place for information on Indian wizard history was the library at Kalpadrum School of Magic. She scanned the map. Ghangoria, that was the nearest muggle town to the school. It was very close, though unseen to muggles, to the famous 'Valley of Flowers'. That was a good thing, she mused. Late September was not a bad time to see the flowers, and she would be able to mingle with the tourists. She cleared the parchments away, and ordered dinner. It would be a long day tomorrow. Perhaps she should have informed Ginny at least before leaving Hogwarts, she could feel that it had been a rather hasty decision on her part, but she couldn't look back now.

**-XXX-**

It was raining heavily when Hermione apparated in the wood lining the rocky road to Ghangoria just a few metres outside the town. Supporting herself on the tall pines and poplars, she scrambled up on to the road and entered the town. Ghangoria was a contrast to Bombay in everyway. It was a tiny town, with a narrow, slippery stone path winding its way through the few hotels and inns, a Sikh temple and plenty of makeshift stalls selling things like water-proofs, religious and travel CDs and the like. No vehicles allowed in this area to protect the environment, and the only transports available were horses and donkeys. Hermione was drenched and cold. She had apparated straight from Bombay where it was quite warm and dry and she had stupidly enough looked over the fact that the weather would be different here. She took up a room in one of the hotels and after drying herself, decided to go through the plans once again. There were two roads branching of from the town. One led to the Sikh pilgrim spot Hemkund Sahib, the other to the Valley of Flowers. It was this second road that she had to take, but there were no clearer indications about reaching Kalpadrum after this. All that was told was there were marks left for visitors on the way. She hoped she would be able to find them. There was also the nagging fear of being caught, for she knew her unauthorized portkey had not gone undetected but for the time being she had pushed the thought firmly to the back of her mind. She hoped that she would be safe once she reached Kalpadrum, Rudrapratap Ray had been Dumbledore's friend and perhaps he would believe her, but to reach there was the worry at hand.

She woke up at five the next morning, which was not easy, because it was cold and the blankets were warm and inviting. But she rose and got ready. By a quarter to seven, she had reached the little bridge outside the town from where the two paths branched off. It was the starting point of the journey. Today she was prepared. She was wearing a warm pullover, and a waterproof which was unbuttoned at the moment. She had also remembered to hang a camera down her neck so that she looked like an ordinary foreigner tourist. The sun had come out today and Hermione felt cheerful, and even excited. They couldn't possibly guess she was here.

"Well, well, it's Ms Know-It-All as usual. Figured it all out, haven't you, Granger?"

Hermione froze. She turned instinctively but there was no need to. She knew very well to whom that drawling voice belonged. Draco Malfoy was standing there, dressed as a tourist like herself, looking quite smug and smiling in a satisfied manner.

**P.S**: _I'm sorry it's a short chapter. Please forgive, but don't forget to review._


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I reckon the plot is mine, so are the Indian characters, but everything else is Rowling's of course.

* * *

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**-Chapter Ten-

* * *

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**The Forest of Surprises

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**

"Malfoy!" She felt her hand tighten around her wand handle inside her jeans pocket. "What are you doing here?"

Malfoy smiled, "Don't you know, Granger?" he asked. "I am here for the same reason as you are, to find the other of the pair. When I heard you had run away to India, I knew you would come here. Even though the portkey you took was for Bombay."

"I don't understand what you are saying." Hermione said calmly. "How did you know I would be here?"

"Come on Granger, don't tell me you don't know that the orbs were made here."

Hermione started. "The orbs of power were made by Mihir- the famous seer in his School of Magic which was destroyed in the wars during the middle ages." She said.

"The school founded by Mihir was called Mantralaya which was destroyed in the 10th century," Malfoy agreed, " but in the 16th century a sorceress named Bhanumati founded it again, near the old ruins, and named the new school Kalpadrum."

Hermione stared at him.

"Don't tell me you don't already know this Granger, or I will think I am speaking to an imposter. How can Hermione Granger leave her homework incomplete?"

Hermione bristled at his taunts, but restrained herself. She had to find out first if Malfoy had back up.

"But I suppose you were in a hurry. But why are you here, Granger, if you didn't know it could be found here?"

"That, Malfoy, is none of your business.' Hermione replied through clenched teeth.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't my business, Granger. It seems you are the one without any business here, since you don't know why you are here in the first place."

"I know my business without your help, thank you very much. I am here to meet Rudrapratap Ray."

"That's a good idea, actually." He replied unperturbed. "Without his help, we can never find the orb."

"Excuse me! _We_ are not finding anything. Either he helps me or he helps you, and you should know that Dumbledore was his friend and he will help me, and not my enemies."

"Your enemies? And I am one of them, perhaps? I'm glad you worked that out. But I think we should offer Ray a choice, and for that reason, let us go to him together."

Hermione finally cracked, and drew out her wand.

"Put it back, Granger. We are in muggle area." Malfoy said calmly.

"And since when have your kind cared about secrecy in muggle-areas, Malfoy?" it was Hermione's turn to mock now.

Malfoy sighed. "Listen, Granger. Put it away. I know you don't trust me, but you and I are both alone here, and you are already on the run, so it will be wise for you not to draw attention to yourself by using magic. Let's get to the school first."

"You go in front." Hermione did not lower her wand.

"As the lady wishes." Malfoy replied and turned.

Hermione hesitated, and then followed him, stowing her wand back into her pocket. She was glad that no muggle had seen her wand, for tourists were few now, the time being not exactly the peak-season.

Little unknown flowers were strewn on the borders of their road. The road was steep, sometimes it rose sharply, sometimes it descended as it went round and round around the mountains. With them went the Pushpawati River, splashing all it's white splendour across gigantic boulders. Hermione was aware of the scent of the forest, a mingled fragrance of flowers, moistened wood and soil, and green leaves from which fell the drops of rainwater. There was no sound in the forest, except the song of the river, and a continuous relentless buzzing hum created by the birds, the bees and other insects. They walked and walked. The valley was a three-hour long trek from the gate, the hotel manager had told Hermione the previous evening. Hermione wanted to stop for a while, but she couldn't risk Malfoy reaching there before her. Finally, after about an hour, Malfoy stopped, and leaned across a big rock. Hermione went and sat on a boulder facing him, watching the road ahead.

"Do you know how my mother died, Granger?" he asked suddenly.

Hermione looked at him. His expression was unfathomable as ever.

"We heard you had killed her. That's what Greyback told Remus. You killed her because she wanted to stop you from carrying out Voldemort's orders."

"Liar!" he said softly, her face paler than usual, "Well, I am glad he got killed by the aurors."

"Do you know, Granger, that my mother was terrified at what the Dark Lord was making me do?"

"So we heard."

"You heard? Well, he heard it too. He also heard that she was going to surrender herself to the Ministry, and seek protection for me, and so he killed her. He killed her and told me she had been murdered by the Order. I shall never forget that sight, she, lying before the fireplace, cold in spite if the crackling fire, and dead. I found out the truth later, accidentally. But I had my revenge."

"Your revenge?" Hermione asked in spite of herself, "You took revenge against Voldemort? How?"

Malfoy sighed. "Potter knew. He asked me to do it."

Hermione had allowed herself to be carried away by Malfoy's manner of speaking, but suddenly she got hold of herself. "Harry knew? Harry would never ask you to do anything for him, and he never told Ron or me anything like this. Don't use the names of my dead friends in your lies, Malfoy." She was breathing heavily.

"Shall we get going?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer, strode forward.

**-XXX-**

The man known as Dost Sahib was walking in the forest near the school. He was thinking about the dream last night. He had had such dreams for years now, as long as he could remember, and they always woke him up in pain, but once he was awake, they slipped away, leaving only a feeling of terrible sadness which he could not explain. Today, he was trying, like many other attempts before, to recollect what he had seen. A mingled sensation of fire and darkness, of someone screaming, of a terrible pain, arose in his mind, but no more than that. He walked aimlessly among the tall pine and cypress trees, and past the wild roses and sunflowers, and snake-lilies that grew around him. Soon, he came to a cliff that ended in a sudden, steep, almost vertical decline. The mountain had caved in here, after a landslide, and far below, several hundred feet below were the ruined remains of an old school of Magic that had stood before the spot where he now was, centuries ago. Rudrapratap had told him how invaders had destroyed it, and how then the landslide had caused the place to cave in. Dost Sahib loved this place. He often sat here for hours, especially on days following those nights when he dreamt his old dream. The ruined school was not a building to him, but a friend who, like him, had forgotten it's past and has been forgotten by others who knew it in the past. He listened to the river singing, and thought, he knew not what. The noon gong sounded from Kalpadrum, and Dost Sahib stirred. Rudrapratap wouldn't be pleased if he forgot his medicine. He rose and turned back towards the school. But some other will at the back of his mind halted him. The pain was not gone. His vague dream from last night still haunted him and his head throbbed with a dull pain. He suddenly felt very tired, he was tired taking medicines day after day, and sitting with Rudrapratap in a dark room for hours, he with his pensieve, asking him questions, seeking answers. He was tired of waiting for something to happen, waiting to remember. He didn't want any medicine anymore. Perhaps that would stop those dreams. As if in an answer to that wish, the night-time dream suddenly flashed into his mind, and a piercing pain stabbed his forehead, and with a scream, Harry Potter swayed and fell into the abyss behind him.

* * *

**P.S:** _Sorry guys, I am going on a vacation, so there won't be any updates for a while_ _And since it is established that I am not Rowling, do not be too shattered by the ending. I am sorry for another cliff-hanger (perhaps cliff-toppler would be a better term this time) but I honestly can't write anymore. There is packing to be done._


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:** _I reckon the plot is mine, so are the Indian characters, but everything else is Rowling's of course._

**Author's Note:** _I probably messed up the geography of it. So sorry about it. And because I updated late, here's a long chapter. Hopefully, you will like it._

**

* * *

**

**-Chapter Eleven-**

**The Orb of Memories

* * *

**

"Did you hear something?" Hermione asked, stopping abruptly.

"Hear what?" Malfoy asked, turning back.

"I heard somebody screaming, somewhere over there." She pointed vaguely forward. They were in a particularly difficult part of the road. It was dangerously steep and rocky. There was nobody to be seen.

"I didn't hear anything, and I can't see anybody either. Let's go"

Hermione did not move. She had heard a scream all right, faint, almost drowned beneath the sound of the raging river, but she had heard it. It had unsettled her, and she felt sudden fear, which she couldn't explain.

Malfoy walked back to her and touched her on the shoulder. "There's no one here except us Granger, you probably heard a bird or something. Come on, let's go."

Hermione seemed awake from a dream. She nodded, and reluctantly followed Malfoy, feeling vaguely uneasy. Their path sloped downwards and ran into a green valley, dotted with countless tiny flowers in various shades. On their left, another path rose up along a green hill in the opposite direction.

"Is that a rune-sign, Granger?" Malfoy asked, pointing to a small boulder that lay at the foot of the hill.

Hermione approached him to have a closer look. The boulder was almost concealed by long grasses. Very faintly inscribed on it were the words: _Nor hayr_ – Up left.

"This way." She said, and started climbing up.

He followed her. They had barely walked a few steps when a gate materialized before them it was open, and an old man with white hair and beard, and wearing a white robe, was standing at the entrance.

"Welcome to Kalpadrum, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy." He said.

"How do you know our name?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Are you Rudrapratap Ray?" asked Malfoy.

The man laughed. " Surely you want to come in? Indians are not so bad hosts as to keep you standing at the gate."

He beckoned them to come in, and they entered, walking a little behind him. They walked up the slope, which turned right again and reached an open courtyard from where a number of staircases ran up in different direction.

" I shall answer your question first, Mr. Malfoy, for it is the shorter one. Yes, I am indeed Rudrapratap Ray, headmaster of this school. As for your question, Ms. Granger, we always watch the forest from the school. No stranger can apparate here without passing the forest, and the forest alerts us whenever a wizard or a witch enters it. Your names I guessed when I saw you. You are both quite well-known in your own ways, though what reason brings the two people so unlike each other together to my gates, I cannot guess."

"We did not come together." Hermione spoke up.

"But we have come to seek your help in the same matter." Said Draco.

Rudrapratap turned and observed their faces carefully.

"You make an old man curious. We shall talk inside my office, if you please." He said, and led them up a flight of stairs. The room was large, and the walls were covered with vibrant coloured embroidered wall hangings. There were also paintings of old wizards and witches, though all of them were apparently asleep. On one side of the room was a large bookcase. Through its glass walls, Hermione discerned many manuscripts dating back to thousands of years that took place with relatively modern tomes. On the opposite side was a similar showcase that contained many strange instruments and exquisitely crafted statues. There was a single large window on the wall behind the headmaster's chair. It offered a breathtaking view of the Himalayan snow-range through the closed glass-panes.

" Now we can talk." Ray said when they had all sat down. "Tell me, how may I help you?"

Hermione looked at Malfoy, who looked back at her. After a minute of silence, Malfoy spoke.

"Perhaps Granger would like to say it, though I fear she does not know the whole story." He said coolly, still looking at her.

Hermione ignored him, and turned to look at the man before her.

"Professor, do you know about the recent incidents in England?"

Rudrapratap pondered a moment before replying.

"As a matter of fact, Ms Granger, I do. I have had the Daily Prophet delivered here for the last eleven years. I do know that old signs (here he looked significantly at Malfoy, who stared back at him calmly) are returning to England. But I would have known about you even if I had not read the Prophet; the news of a team of English aurors looking for you in India have made front-page news in our local newspapers. But you may not worry yourself while you are here at Kalpadrum. Dumbledore was a friend of mine. All those who had been his friends are safe here."

"Thank you, sir."

"There is no need to thank me for it. I believe you are innocent and therefore I shall help you. But is that why you are here, to avoid arrest? But that I am sure Minerva McGonagall could have helped you as well. And it does not explain why Mr. Malfoy should come all the way to India."

"Since you read the Daily Prophet, you must know about the Grenville Crystal?" Draco asked him, and continued, " What the Prophet did not say, or did not know is this: the orb of Edward Grenville is the same orb which was once called the Tempora de Orbis, discovered by a British muggle on the Western coasts of India which disappeared from the Ministry some years later."

"It was stolen by the Dark Wizard Durgul, and Grenville got hold of it when he defeated the former. The power of the orb overwhelmed him, and he did not return it to the Ministry. The orb brought him fame and riches, and he became a renowned seer. " Hermione said.

"I see." Rudrapratap said thoughtfully. "I wondered when it was stolen, I feared about the connection between Grenville and Durgul, and hoped my fears were false. But the Tempora de Orbis has power much greater and more dangerous than the power it bestowed on Grenville, and can do much harm if used by evil hands. But why have you come to me? You should have alerted your own Ministry. Yet I wonder what the Ministry could do…I have been thinking since I read the news, the Dark Mark returns as soon as the orb disappears, the Tempora de Orbis is subject of much controversy, it has an old history…very, very old, dating much more behind in time than the English would like to acknowledge." He seemed to be talking to himself, but the phase passed, and he looked sharply at his guests, "Why are you here?"

"If the claims of Indian historians are true, Tempora de Orbis is one of the two Mahashaktigolaks. To defeat it's power, we need the other one." Hermione said, looking straight into his bright, black eyes.

"And if legends are true, the wizard Mihir threw one of his orbs to the sea, but the other orb remained in his school." Said Malfoy.

"The legends are perhaps true, Mr. Malfoy." Ray said slowly, "However, it would be difficult to ascertain their truth, because the school where the great Mihir taught has been long destroyed."

"But the ruins remain." Draco persisted. He could see the old man was testing them. Well, he was not going to give it up.

"I have a question, sir." Hermione said. "Why did he throw away one orb and keep the other."

Rudrapratap smiled. Dumbledore had been right about this girl, here was one eager learner.

"Well, to understand that, Ms. Granger, you need to know a little about the history of the orbs. The Mahashaktigolaks, which translate as 'orbs of great power,' were originally called the smritigolak, meaning 'the orb of memories', and bhavishyagolak, meaning 'the orb of future'. Mihir had made them to see the future, and to know the past. But in making them, he invested a huge amount of power in both of them, and though he never had intended to put them into any other use, he found the smritigolak could be used to rediscover forgotten memories, to calm the anxious mind, to make it firm and fearless, while the bhavishyagolak could influence and control people's thoughts, and he used it to build an army for a muggle king who was his friend and had lost his kingdom. When the exceptional powers of the orbs were revealed, he became famous. But there were many attempts to steal the orbs as well. Towards the end of his life, he began to realize that the 'orb of future' could be used to terrible effects in the wrong hands. He ought to have destroyed the former, but perhaps he could not destroy something he had created, or perhaps the power of the orb overwhelmed even him, he was unable to do so, and he threw it in the sea then. The other orb remained hidden at Mantralaya. Now if the two of you want to find it, perhaps you need to search amongst it ruins."

"One minute, sir." Hermione stood up quickly. "It is true both of us want to find the other orb, but we want it for different reasons. The Grenville Crystal was stolen by Malfoy and his pals. Now they want to get hold of the other one so no one can dispute their power. And I am here to ask your help so I can stop them. I have not run away to avoid arrest. But if I told the Ministry all this, they wouldn't have believed me. Malfoy's lot has ensured that much. Now you must decide who you want to help."

"I won't deny, Mr. Malfoy, that your coming here with Ms Granger has surprised me." Rudrapratap said, " When I read about the return of the Dark Mark, my thought strayed to those former deatheaters I knew had escaped, and your name figured very prominently among them."

"And your thought strayed in the right direction." Draco replied calmly, " As a matter of fact, _I_ had put up the Dark Mark that night, though the wand used was not my own. But my motive was not what you, or what Granger suspects. I had only tried to turn the Ministry's attention towards all the former deatheaters, but for some reason, they seem to be obsessed with framing Granger."

"I will tell you the reason, Malfoy," Hermione said hotly, " Because you and your pal Nott had paid gold, _oh, as donation for noble causes_, I am sure, to get me framed."

Draco sighed. This girl was determined to find him wrong, but well, he had to try.

"Framing you was Nott's idea, Granger. And if you remember, I had wanted to use my gold to clear you of all charges, only you refused my help."

"Unlike you, Malfoy, I am innocent and don't need to bribe my way out of prison."

Rudrapratap Ray cleared his throat. "Perhaps we can defer this discussion now?" he asked. "Mr. Malfoy, can you convince us that you are on the right side?"

"I have been on the right side for eleven years, though I doubt anything I say is going to convince Granger. Eleven years back I was still a deatheater, forced to do terrible things to save my family. But my mother got desperate at last, she was terrified that the Dark Lord would kill me, and she decided to surrender to the Ministry and seek protection for me. But the Dark Lord found out and got her killed. Then he ordered my Aunt Lestrange to take me home, and she showed me my mother's body…dead, cold, her blue eyes opened in an expression of wild terror… her golden hair which was always so smooth all disheveled and rough… blood that had oozed from her mouth and nose had dried up…Lestrange told me that the Order had done it; I was insane with rage, I walked straight into the Ministry to find and kill the Order members who worked there and probably would have got arrested and packed to Azkaban, but Potter saw me before anyone else did, stunned me, and dragged me off. He told me the truth, and though I didn't believe him at first, I decided to spy on my own side to find out and learned who had really killed my mother. Theodore Nott had told my mother that I had sent her a message through him, and asked to meet her. When my mother let him in, he sent a message to his father and the Dark Lord arrived with his servants, which included my dear aunt. Nott was honoured with induction among the deatheaters' inner circle. Well, I got back at Lestrange and Nott senior, records say they were killed in encounter, but nobody knows that the curses that hit them were not by aurors, not even the aurors themselves…there were so many aurors and deatheaters, so many spells flying here and there, they never noticed. And I led Potter to Nagini, though I never understood why he wanted to kill that snake." He paused, and breathed deeply, closing his eyes.

Hermione couldn't make up her mind. She remembered Harry going to the Ministry to ask Tonks where Lupin was the day after Narcissa Malfoy was found murdered, but he had never mentioned meeting Malfoy. As for the snake, she and Ron had never had the chance to talk to Harry about that. They knew he was going to find Nagini and had refused to take them along, and while he had gone they had found themselves, along with Ginny and Neville, cornered by Snape and Voldemort. Ginny and Neville had fallen almost immediately, and they remained in the hospital for days afterwards. But Harry had come almost immediately, and joined the battle. She remembered Snape sending her green jets of light, she was ducking all the way, and she was worried about Harry and Ron, yet she couldn't even turn to look at them. Then her desperate scream: Avada Kedavra and the green jet hitting Snape squarely on the chest. She had been too overcome and shocked at her using the spell to remember anything else for a while when she had heard Harry scream. She turned and froze. Ron was falling, not very gracefully, his head a little lop-sided like the way it used to be tilted while he snored with his mouth hanging open in Binns' classes, he hit the ground with a dull thud and never moved again. It was as if in a trance as she watched Voldemort's spell meeting Harry's, and then the explosion, that finally shook her up. "Not Harry too, please God, not Harry too…" she had desperately cried as she searched for him around the charred, broken, jumbled ruin that was Voldemort's body. But Harry was nowhere. And finally looking at Voldemort, she had realized that Harry must have destroyed the snake, the last of the horcruxes. But had Malfoy help him there?

"You say the only witness to your changing sides was Harry Potter." Ray asked.

"He cannot speak for me." Draco said sadly, "How can I then call him my witness? And Granger has asked me not to talk about her dead friends."

Rudrapratap Ray looked at them. "Of course, I understand. It is not easy to hear of …dead friends being spoken off. I understand. However, Mr. Malfoy, I will give you a chance. You look resemble your father greatly, yet, there is something different about you. Perhaps you have not followed his footsteps."

"I have a question, sir." Hermione said hesitatingly. She was feeling even more undecided at Ray deciding to trust Malfoy, but she still had some doubts. "If Malfoy really is against Nott, he could have stolen the orb from him and…"

"He couldn't have, Ms. Granger. Once an orb of power chooses a master, it continues to serve him/her unless its power is broken or the wizard or witch dies. Like wands, these orbs choose their masters, depending on the strengths of the wills of all those who want to own them. Nott must have desired greatly to control the first orb, and therefore the orb has yielded to him. Now that one of the orbs is being used, the other orb must have been reawakened too. When an orb of power is awakened, it pulls the master it desires to itself. My chance to you, Mr. Malfoy, and also to you, Ms. Granger, is this: I will lead you both to the ruins of Mantralaya. The orb of memories has risen. It is looking for a master who will use it to balance the other orb, its partner. Whoever among you has the stronger will to use it for good will get it."

**-XXX-**

To his great surprise, Harry landed without hurting himself. He stood up and found that he had fallen on a soft heap of rotting old leaves. But his head was still throbbing madly. He couldn't understand where he was or why he was there. He had managed to kill Nagini when the fake galleon in his pocket had felt hot. Ron and Hermione needed help. But where were they? But his mind was overwhelmed with a jumbled haze of broken images and noises. Somebody, somewhere was calling him. He lunged forward blindly and tripped. There was something hard, cold and smooth pressed under his chest. He sat up, and found it was an orb. How odd! What was an orb doing in a place like this? Harry observed it curiously. It was shining brightly and swirls of white smoke floated inside. But what was he doing here, looking at an orb. Ron and Hermione needed him. He was about to throw the orb away when the smoke suddenly disappeared, and two red, cruel eyes appeared instead. Harry watched, transfixed. The eyes grew smaller, and soon he could see Lord Voldemort's whole form inside the orb. He was there too, and Ron. A green jet went and hit Ron. _No_, Harry screamed silently, but he couldn't drop the ball. There was he, battling Voldemort, and his spell met his. He couldn't hold on. He was tired, he couldn't hold on longer. You can't die, somebody screamed inside his head, you must kill him before you die. But Voldemort's spell was winning; he could not block it any longer. Apparate. The voice screamed again, and Harry turned. But he was losing control, he no longer knew where he was going, he no longer had control over himself, he was losing his power. The orb went blank again and slipped from Harry's hands. Harry fainted. He was falling through darkness, it was dark all around. Then the darkness cleared, and he was in a strange room. An old man was standing before him.

"Well," he said, "you are at Parital in India, at the Kalpadrum School of Magic. I am Rudrapratap Ray, the headmaster."

**-XXX-**

There was a knock at the door and a tall, dark-haired woman in a blue sari came in.

"Let me introduce you." Said Ray, "Maya, these are my guests from England, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy. Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, Mrs. Maya Rathore is the nurse of our school."

Hermione and Draco both turned to greet her, but Mrs. Rathore ignored them completely. She was looking quite frightened for some reason.

"Headmaster, please. Dost Sahib did not come to take his medicine so I went to look for him. But he wasn't in his room. I asked the students if they had seen him and Shabnam Akhtar said she had seen him walking out of the gates more than an hour ago. We can't find him anywhere."

"You can't find him? Surely, Maya, he has to be somewhere around!" Rudrapratap stood up, looking alarmed.

"Well, we have looked, and he's nowhere."

"All right, Maya, go to your office. I will see what I can do." The woman nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

Hermione looked at Rudrapratap Ray. He seemed to have forgotten they were there.

"Nisha Sharma told me about Dost Sahib." she said hesitatingly, "Who is he, actually?"


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: **I reckon the plot is mine, so are the Indian characters, but everything else is Rowling's of course.

**Author's Note: **I am a bit scared about the opening part of this chapter. I am not great with dreams, you know. That's why I quit divination on my very first class! Also, to refresh your memory: Mark and Meg Lupin are the twin children of Tonks and Remus, and they, along with Ron Weasley, junior, son of Bill and Fleur, and a muggle-born John Reeds, are first years at Hogwarts.

* * *

**-Chapter Eleven-**

**Reliving Nightmares

* * *

**

"Ginny, we must stop seeing each other."

The world was dissolving around her. She collected the broken china pieces of her heart and smiled.

"I am sure it is for some brave and stupid reason."

And then a few more hopeless, meaningless words. He turned his back, and walked away. His friends followed him. A fog covered them, and she could see no more. When the fog lifted, there was Voldemort standing before them. She tried to scream, to warn them, but she couldn't find her voice. She shut her eyes. And then she heard it, clear and unmistakable, somebody else screaming. She opened her eyes and found only Hermione standing. It was she who was screaming. The screams were killing her, she wanted Hermione to stop, but she was screaming louder and louder…

Ginnerva Weasley woke up with a start, still shaking from her vivid dream. Memories were such nightmares! It was still dark. She groped for her wand on the side-table and muttered, "Lumos."

It showed half past five in the clock on the opposite wall. She was about to go back to sleep when she heard that scream again. For a moment she sat absolutely still, and then relaxed as she realized the source of the noise. She shook her head and slid down the bed. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she turned a light on. The light revealed a large room, with a comfortable looking four-poster, a small table and chair, with some books and a quill stand and ink pot arranged neatly on the former. There was a door at one end of the room. This was the private quarter of Professor Ginnerva Weasley, teacher of Defence Against Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The door opened into her teacher's office. But instead of going that way, Ginny turned towards a corner in the opposite side of the room. There, in the relative shade, stood obscured another table. On it were placed two large cages. A second shrill sound came from that corner. She walked up to the table and observed the inhabitants of the cages. In one of them was a multicoloured pygmy puff, lying fast asleep. In the other cage however, the large snowy owl, its inhabitant, was flapping her wings restlessly. Her amber eyes glittered in the little light.

"Why did you wake me up, you stupid bird?" Ginny asked her, reaching out to stroke her smooth back.

The owl hooted again, and nipped her finger sharply.

"Ouch!" Ginny pulled her hand out. "What's wrong with you? Are you hungry?"

She offered an Owl Treat through the bars. Hedwig refused to eat it, and tried to dig at the cage door with her beak.

"Hedwig, it's the crack of dawn! You will wake up the whole castle with the racket you are making."

Hedwig continued to move restlessly, flapping her wings and hooting. Finally, Ginny gave up and let her out. Instantly, the owl flew out of the window and disappeared into the morning. Ginny stood at the window, watching her become a tiny speck in the gray sky, her mind wandering back to the dream. Harry and Ron had left her long ago, would Hermione leave her too? It was now three days since she had escaped. Escaped? She still couldn't bring herself to accept this part. Hermione would never escape. It was against her character. She was the one who would spend whole nights at the library to find a solution. She was the one who would come up with the idea of starting a Defence Club to protest against a tyrant teacher. She would never escape from anything; Ginny knew it. Yet, why did she leave? And why could she not tell _her_ before leaving? The sky in the direction of Hedwig's flight was now a tinged with a faint pink. It seemed even Hedwig had left her. She suddenly felt very lonely. She stood there, thinking in broken threads, of the past, of Hermione, of Hedwig. The sun rose, painting the Eastern sky in shades of red, golden and orange. The birds were waking up. The caress of a soft breeze on her face shook Ginny out of her reverie. It was six. There was no point in trying to get any more sleep now. Ginny sighed, and turned back from the day. Another day was beginning at Hogwarts.

Ron cursed as an owl dropped a brown package in front of Mark Lupin, knocking over a glass in the process, and smearing his bacon with orange juice.

"Mark, why can't you get your own mails?" He shouted, looking down at the ruin of what had been, even a minute ago, a good breakfast.

"Shut up, Ron! How can you blame me for the owl when it's not mine? And you had eaten enough anyway." Mark said indifferently, as he opened the packet to pull out the copy of the day's Daily Prophet. He looked at the front page, gave a loud, startled gasp and knocked over another glass, this time into his sister's plate.

"Mark, what the hell…" Meg cried out angrily, and then stopped as she too, saw the large photograph that seemed to be the centre-stage of the day's news. "…Not another Dark Mark?" she finished in a tone of dismay.

"Yeah, and more killings." Mark replied.

Ron bent over to read. The re-appearance of the Dark Mark last week after 11 years had been shocking enough, but the Ministry had managed to play it down, claiming it was just a stray incident, but how were they going to maintain that stand now? He looked around at the great hall. There were a lot of bent heads over copies of the Prophet in the four house tables and even the teachers seemed to be engaged in a discussion. Aunt Ginny, however, was not participating. She was staring at the open newspaper before her with the look of one who relives a nightmare. The warning bell rang. Ron shook himself out.

"C'mon, classes begin in ten minutes. We got to rush."

The other two rose at once.

"But where is John?" Meg asked anxiously, "Why didn't he come down for breakfast?"

"He was reading when we called him, he told us not to wait."

"What was he reading early in the morning?"

"No idea. Don't ask."

They got the answer in he third floor corridor. John Reeds came running out of a corner in their direction, carrying his school bag in one hand and a roll of parchment in the other.

"Just finished it in time." He said before they had managed to ask him anything, "Although it's half an inch shorter than what Professor Binns had asked for!"

"Professor Binns had set homework?" asked an astounded Ron.

"Of course he did, he asked for an essay on Uric the Oddball, don't you boys ever listen?" Meg asked impatiently, "I finished mine last evening."

Ron looked helplessly at Mark, who returned his expression. In Binns' last class, the two of them had spent time playing hangman, in which he had won.

"Do you reckon he'll give us detentions?" he asked. What sort of punishment would a ghost give?

"Let's bunk." Mark suggested desperately.

"Bunking classes, are we? Gryffindors, of course!"

The four of them wheeled around to find Theodore Nott standing there, lazily surveying them.

"Now let me see," he continued, "what should the punishment be?"

"We were not bunking classes. We had merely expressed an idea." Mark replied stoutly.

"Oh, really?"

"What are yeh doin' here, eh, Nott?" came the gruff question from behind.

"Hagrid! How nice to see you."

"What are yeh doin' here?" The gamekeeper repeated slowly, without taking his black beady eyes off Nott's face.

"I am a Governor of this school, and I can come here when I like without answering to an oaf like you. As I was saying, before you interrupted us, these students here have been caught breaking rules… "

"We broke no rules, Hagrid."

"I am a teacher here, Nott. Yeh can leave the'r punishment to me. Get ter class, you lot. "

"Oh yes, you are a teacher at this place. But I wonder how long you will remain so?" Mr. Nott smiled in an odd, twisted way, and raised his staff in a mock farewell gesture. Then he strode away. Hagrid stood looking in his direction for a while, and then, he too followed.

"Did you see his staff?" John asked, when they were alone again.

"How could we miss? It was in his hand all the time." Mark replied.

"No, I meant the upper part. It looked strangely swollen, almost round, and abnormally large! I had an odd feeling that someone was watching me through it."

"Watching you?" Ron laughed, "John, you should study less and sleep a little longer. C'mon now or we will really have to bunk the class."

"Your essays?" Meg asked.

"Oh we will cook up something." He replied airily.

**-XXX-**

Rudrapratap weighed his words slowly.

"Dost Sahib is an English man." He said quietly.

"An English man?" Draco Malfoy repeated, sounding surprised, "Why is he here, then?"

"I brought him, eleven years ago, when the war had just ended. I had found him unconscious, wounded, vulnerable…and had thought to keep him here till he was strong enough to protect himself; but that time never came. He regained his memory, but could not remember who he was, or use his powers. I had to keep him here."

"But…sir," Hermione spoke up, "maybe the man had a family in England, how could you just keep him away from there? Voldemort had died when you left England, what could be so dangerous for him?"

Rudrapratap looked at her thoughtfully.

"Do you say so, Ms. Granger? Even after eleven years of Voldemort's death, your enemies have not forgotten you, have they?"

Draco did not look away from the piercing glance that Rudrapratap Ray shot towards him.

"She is Hermione Granger, one of the greatest heroes of that war. It's normal for her to have enemies. But it does not apply for everybody. I would say people have lived quite safely and peacefully in England for the last eleven years."

Rudrapratap was silent for a long time before replying.

"Well, the person you call Dost Sahib, as everyone else here does… is someone named Harry Potter."

Another long silence followed this disclosure.

After a while, Hermione spoke. "Professor Ray, I'm afraid I heard you wrong. I thought you said…"

"You heard me perfectly right, Ms. Granger."

Hermione did not know what she was thinking. She could hear Harry screaming as Ron fell, she could feel the dampness on her jacket as Ginny sobbing uncontrollably on her shoulder… as they sobbed together…she could see the little photograph of the three of them which she always kept on the table…

"Harry…alive…all these years, who do you think you are? Harry alive and we never knew…" she managed to utter, shaking from head to feet, "and you hiding him here!"

Draco was watching Hermione's reaction. He started forward to catch her as she swayed alarmingly.

"I have explained my reasons, Ms. Granger." Ray replied.

"You were right." Draco replied, "Hermione, control yourself. The need right now is to find him. We can discuss these things later."


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: **Anything that seems familiar belongs to Rowling, and the rest of it to me.

**Author's Note: **I am extremely sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy. Please forgive me, and remember to review.

* * *

**-Chapter Thirteen-**

**The Meeting  
**

It took a while for Hermione to collect herself. Once the initial shock of Ray's disclosure was over, the more practical and rationalising part of her character took control.

"We must find Harry." She said, addressing herself to Rudrapratap, " He doesn't know who he is and he has lost his magical abilities, he must be really vulnerable outside the protection of this school. I can't believe you didn't have him watched more carefully when you knew his condition. But nevertheless, we should go and look for him now, without wasting any more time. How big is this forest?"

Rudrapratap Ray held up his hands to calm her.

"Please, Ms. Granger, don't be so worked up. I have arranged for people to look for him in the forest and there is nothing to worry. The forest does not hold any fear for anyone. I suggest you and Mr. Malfoy continue on your search for the missing orb."

Malfoy looked shocked and rebellious at this, and Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Ray stopped her again.

"It will be of no use for you to go into the forest, Ms. Granger. Both you and Mr. Malfoy are strangers in these parts; you don't really know this forest. Besides, if you can find the Orb of Memories and control it, it might show you where your friend is, in case we fail to find him in the forest."

A silence followed this speech. Both of them seemed to be thinking hard. Rudrapratap waited, saying nothing.

"Will you lead us to the ruins of the old school, then? We should get going. " Malfoy spoke finally.

Rudrapratap looked at Hermione. "Well, Ms. Granger?" he asked.

"We will search for the orb." Hermione agreed reluctantly.

**-XXX-**

Tonks entered her cubicle and flopped down on the chair, feeling exhausted. She tried to make sense of the parchments that were lying in a most disorderly fashion on her in-tray, but the letters looked strangely blurred. Three more unsolved murders, three new cases on her already overburdened workload, and three more cases to kindle the growing sense of unease and fear that she had begun feeling ever since Hermione lost her job in a cooked-up case. Her eye fell on her own reflection on the polished glass top of her table. There were circles beneath her eyes and her brown locks were hanging limply around her face, making her look old and tired. She scowled and looked away, mentally cursing Dolores Umbridge and her stupid efforts to make the ministry workers look 'prim and proper'. But it wasn't just her hair, she knew she was tired as hell, and it had less to do with her workload than the return of an old, long-forgotten, but familiar fear. She shivered as she remembered the Dark Mark over her parents' house, more than ten years ago. As if to shake herself out of the memory, she reached out and touched the poster of her family that was pasted on the wall. It had been taken on the twins' eleventh birthday. She had her normal pink hair, Remus had his normal serious look and Meg and Mark were busy fighting over a birthday-card. Smiling slightly, she returned her gaze to her in-tray in a renewed attempt to decipher the parchments.

"Tonks?"

She was forced to look up almost immediately. "Hi, Kingsley!" she greeted the man who had called her.

Kingsley Shacklebolt did not return the smile.

"Do you know what old Scrimy is doing?" he asked angrily. "He's making muggle-baiting legal!"

"What?" cried Tonks disbelievingly.

"Yes, he's just finalised a Bill to cancel the muggle-artefacts law that Arthur had brought out years ago, it will mean that any wizard can charm muggle objects, deliberately them in their ways, and can get away with it as long as they don't use the magic directly on any muggle. Do you realize how serious this can get?"

"But...but how can he do this?" Tonks asked in dismay, "Especially now? When we are having muggle-killings every other day? Surely he knows there are more ways to kill than directly with a wand?"

"That is what beats me! He is least worried about the Dark Marks. I wonder if he's under the Imperious curse…he's certainly seeing a lot of Nott these days."

"But he does not look vague or indifferent, does he?" Tonks argued back, "He seems to be in control of himself."

"I know." Kingsley said, "He doesn't seem to be controlled. All the same, the way he's acting, he's either mad, or blind, or thoroughly brainwashed. I wonder how much gold Nott has paid for this."

"If only we could arrest him and the rest of the gang, I'm sure all this would stop." Tonks said vehemently.

"I agree. But we can't do it unless we have proofs." He said, "I have been trying to watch their ways, but there's been nothing of any use till now. But I've learnt that Malfoy is not in England."

"Really?" Tonks asked with interest, "where is he, then?"

"He is supposed to be in America to visit a rich and ailing grand-uncle, but I've just got a report from there that he's not there. Where he really is, I have no idea."

**-XXX-**

Draco Malfoy stood watching as Hermione Granger climbed down the rope ladder after him. She landed gracefully, and vanished the ladder with an elegant sweep of her wand.

"Well, do you feel anything?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Feel what?" Draco asked, taken aback.

"The pull of the orb, Malfoy. Remember what Ray had said? The orb draws its true master towards itself by an invisible force. Do you feel that force yet?"

"Erm…well, no, Granger. Maybe the orb is destined for a true bookworm?"

Hermione ignored his reply, but she couldn't help feeling a little satisfied at the fact that Malfoy hadn't felt the orb's force yet. She couldn't decide whether to trust him or not, and she wanted to find out where Harry was for herself. To do that, however she needed to be able to control the orb, and if Malfoy was not to be the master, she had not felt its force either. However, it was still too early to lose hope. They had to go on. She advanced towards the ruins visible through the dense foliage, with Malfoy following.

Harry was sitting on a broken pillar, staring at the orb. The orb reflected his face. He untied the turban that he had worn for eleven years, and ran his fingers over his forehead. There was his old scar. It was very faint, but it was still there. His reflection vanished from the orb, and two people appeared in it. Harry stood up with the orb in his hands and looked before him. There was a movement among the trees, and two people stepped out of them, and then stopped dead as they saw him.

"Hermione, Draco, I saw you coming." Harry said.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: **Everything belongs to Rowling except this computer. I stole the computer.

**Author's Note: **Merry Christmas. Please forgive me for the delayed update, and remember to review.

**-Chapter Fourteen-**

**The Music Sow  
**

"Have you seen this?" Remus Lupin asked his wife, as he handed her the Evening Prophet. His wife took the paper from him curiously, glanced at the front page, and returned it back to him immediately. On the very first page was a large, colourful advertisement of a Musical Extravaganza that was going to be held that evening.

"This advertisement has been coming out for the last two weeks, Remus. It is being sponsored by Theodore Nott and the money from the sale of tickets is supposedly going to St. Mungo's."

"I know all that." He replied, "But it says here that the Minister of Magic is the Chief Guest for the occasion. Won't that mean special duty for the aurors?"

"Well, no." Tonks sighed. "Scrimegeour does not want any auror protection with him. He is taking only Dolores Umbridge and Willie Widdershin with him."

"Widdershin?" Remus asked, sounding surprised, "You mean the man with all those muggle-baiting charges against him?"

"The same one." She replied, and added in a low voice, "Remus, I don't understand what is happening. I feel so worried. Ever since the Dark Mark was seen again, I've been reliving nightmares."

Her husband reached over and took her hand.

"It's going to be all right, darling. Voldemort is dead. The nightmares will not happen again. Scrimegeour has just lost his head over Nott's gold."

"I hope so, Remus." She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered.

"All the same, I don't understand what Nott is up to." He spoke softly.

Tonks looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we have seen people trying to buy the Ministry before. Lucius Malfoy had spent a lot of money in donations. But I have never seen their kind bother about entertaining ordinary people like this. I would have thought it was beyond the status of these so-called old pureblood noble families to arrange a music show to raise money. They would rather give double the amount themselves. And why aren't aurors being allowed to attend the event?"

"According to the Umbridge, aurors have other important things to do. The ministry has received a letter from the _International Magical Relics Conservation Society _over the Grenville Orb theft so she is driving all of us mad to find it. I am going to resign one of these days."

**-XXX-**

The show was being held in the garden of Nott mansion. About fifteen minutes after the show had started, a middle-aged blonde woman arrived at the gate. She seemed very nervous for some reason. She took out a ticket from her bag and showed it to the man who was standing there. He pointed her to a chair in the last row and she made her way towards the direction pointed by him. So far, so good, Tonks thought, as she settled into her chair. She had changed her hair and nose, and had even got a pair of blue muggle contact lenses. She was sure even Remus would fail to recognize her now, unless of course she gave herself away by her sheer clumsiness, which wouldn't be new.

"Hello." The woman next to her smiled at her.

"Luna!" Tonks cried out, and mentally kicked herself immediately.

Luna looked surprised. "Do you know me?"

"Erm…yes, no, I mean. Actually, I read The Quibbler, it's a very interesting and informative magazine…I just thought you were Luna Lovegood, you know, the sub-editor. I am so sorry…"

"But I am Luna Lovegood." Luna said beaming. "I am glad you read our magazine. I am reporting this event, you know. My father believes the Ministry is trying to spread an epidemics of wrackspurts…"

"That's lovely, Ms. Lovegood, I will definitely read your article in the Quibbler. " Tonks said quickly.

"That's very nice of you." She said dreamily, and went back to scribbling in her notebook.

"That was close!" Tonks told herself silently. She was not supposed to be here. She did not think Luna would give her away, but then, if she had recognized her and called out her name, and somebody else had heard it…Well, the thing was, Luna had not recognized her, and that probably meant her disguise was effective, which was a good thing. Brushing her curly locks off her forehead, Tonks moved her attention to the stage. Nott was addressing the crowd, with a staff in his hand. Where on earth were the musicians and the dancers who were supposed to be performing? And how could Nott publicly say such things? She listened in speechless shock as he openly spoke about preserving blood purity and killing all muggle-born and mixed blood wizards and witches. The people present were whispering amongst themselves.

"He is not being very nice, is he?" Luna said matter-of-factly.

"I don't know how he thinks he will get away with this." Tonks murmured.

There was the Minister of Magic in the Chief Guest's chair, nodding happily to whatever Nott was saying. Beside him was Dolores Umbridge, looking equally pleased. Also present on the stage were Willie Widdershin, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. "Magic is an ancient art," Nott was saying, "it has been practiced and perfected by great stalwarts like Merlin and Salazar. Can the people who have not a single drop of magical blood in their family ever rise up to such legacies of skill and talent? The answer is no, my friends." He raised his staff, and a section of the crowd cheered approvingly.

Well, he was speaking well, mused Tonks, he looked quite impressive in his dark high-collared robes and that magnificent staff. And he wasn't exactly wrong, blood did matter…wait, what was happening to her? Tonks shook her up and looked around in disbelief. What made her think like that? Hastily, she glanced at Luna. She was looking dazed.

"Luna?"

"Huh? He's actually speaking quite well, you know…I have to tell my father."

"Luna, we have to go." Tonks said, standing up.

"But why?"

"You have been attacked by wrackspurts. Come on Luna." Saying this, she dragged her off her seat and ran towards the gate. The man at the gate blocked their way.

"You can't leave before the show is over." He said.

"That's what you think." Tonks replied grimly, "Stupefy."

Twenty minutes later, she was in her own office, speaking urgently with Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Brainwashing, Kingseley, that's what they are doing."

The man looked worried.

"That's dangerous. But how are they doing it?"

"That's what I don't understand."

"Well, at least I can give you some news. Malfoy was seen in Gringotts half an hour ago. He has returned."

* * *

_**I know it should have been a longer chapter. Please don't be mad. I have a feeling this story is going haywire. Will try to update soon.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: **Rowling created Harry Potter. I created this story.

* * *

**Author's Note: **After a very long time (as far as this story is concerned), I managed to produce a chapter without having to force myself to the computer and laboriously search for words because an update was long overdue. I actually had fun writing this chapter. I hope you have equal fun in reading it. Please review.

* * *

**-Chapter Fifteen-**

* * *

**The Return**

* * *

"You are saying he is brainwashing people?" McGonagall asked, in a tone of absolute disbelief and shock.

"Believe me, Minerva," Tonks said earnestly, "there can be no other explanation. One minute I was wondering how Nott dared to express such sentiments in public, and the next moment I was agreeing with him, _admiring_ him for speaking so rationally. And you don't have to take my word for it. Just wait for tomorrow's newspaper. I've seen Rita Skeeter in the very front-row, taking notes. She must have been badly affected."

"I don't care about that pathetic reporter being affected by some cranked up pureblood loser." Ginny said angrily, "She doesn't really need brainwashing to write rubbish, does she? She will toe the ministry's line anyway. Let's all pray Nott brainwashes her into hanging herself." The day's Daily Prophet had carried an article on Hermione Granger's mysterious disappearance by Skeeter, and Ginny had handed down ten detentions and deducted around two hundred points from various houses since reading it at breakfast.

"I agree with Ginnerva completely regarding the matter of Ms.Skeeter," piped Professor Flitwick in his squeaky voice, "but it is indeed a matter of grave concern if the Minister of Magic and a large section of ordinary people have been brainwashed into believing that muggleborns are enemies of wizardkind. We must do something."

"But I still don't understand this. How can one man brainwash about a hundred people simply by talking? What magic is this, Albus?" she looked helplessly at the portrait on the wall.

"I wish I could tell you, Minerva." The old man sighed, "Theodore may have learnt some powerful dark magic, and yet, I find it unlikely. He never really showed the kind of talent that Tom had possessed, and I doubt even Tom had such mesmerizing oratory skills. But I will advice you to watch him and his companions closely. Perhaps you will find out something."

"But, sir?" said Tonks, "Wouldn't it be dangerous to be close to Nott? What assurance is there that he will not brainwash the person entrusted to observe him?"

"I don't think that will happen." Dumbledore replied thoughtfully, "You have been warned against his power. The goodness in your heart will protect you from being affected. Believe me, Nymphadora, no evil can overpower true goodness and love."

Tonks didn't feel much encouraged by these words. She had been there, after all. She had seen it happen. She had almost been affected herself. What if she hadn't recovered in time? What if she had gone home to Remus? Believing all that pureblood propaganda? The very thought chilled her to the marrow.

"I see you have not really accepted my words, and you have forgotten to remind me to call you _Tonks_." Said Dumbledore from the wall, his mouth twitching, "I am surprised, I must say. The very fact that you could recover and escape should have given greater confidence than this."

"But sir," Tonks began, and stopped suddenly at the sound of knocking on the door. She glanced at Minerva, alarmed. Dumbledore's portrait promptly closed his eyes and started snoring. Minerva Mcgonagall gave a reassuring glance to Tonks and then arranged her face into a more formal expression.

"Come in." She said in a stiff voice. The door opened, and Dolores Umbridge walked in. "Good evening, Minerva," She said sweetly, "it's so nice to be back here."

"You are very welcome here, Dolores," said Mcgonagall, " I am sure you know that."

Umbridge opened her mouth to say something, and then her eyes fail on Tonks.

"What a surprise to find you here, Tonks!" she said. " May I know the reason?"

"Sure you can, Ms Umbridge." Ginny said, " Tonks is here to enquire how her children are doing in school. Is that reason enough for you?" Umbridge surveyed Ginny for a second before turning back to Tonks.

"Your children, oh yes! Mixed bloods, aren't they? Born of a half blood and a mutant half-breed?"

"Excuse me?" Tonks said, standing up, her face flushed.

"If you have no more question regarding your son and daughter, Tonks," Mcgonagall said in a clipped tone, " will you kindly leave us alone with Ms Umbridge, who, I'm sure has something important to communicate to us on behalf of the Ministry?"

There was a brief second in which Tonks looked both surprised and hurt, but she recovered quickly and with a low "good evening" she turned away, closing the door behind her.

"What brings you here, Dolores?" Mcgonagall asked.

"You see, Minerva, the Ministry has decided that offering magical education to outsiders is detrimental to the interest of the magical community. Therefore, Hogwarts must immediately expel all such students."

"Will you define _outsiders _please?" Mcgonagall asked with a degree of calmness that took even herself by surprise.

Umbridge allowed herself a little laugh.

"Surely you are cleverer than this, Minerva?" she said in her sugary voice, " outsiders obviously refer to the mudbloods and the half breed mutants, for instance the Lupin twins, the…"

"And the Ministry thinks we must expel them, is it so, Dolores?"

"Of course, it is so, Minerva. I am glad you understood so quickly."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean I agree with you!" Mcgonagall said coldly.

"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge asked sounding confused.

"Hogwarts has it's own laws, Dolores. We will continue to treat all our students equally, irrespective of their family background. You can go and say this to Rufus or Nott or whomever else you want to. Good day to you." She stood up.

Umbridge's face was scarlet with rage.

"You…" she stammered, "you will pay for this, Minerva."

"I look forward to it." Mcgonagall replied, sounding thoroughly unconcerned. "But till that time, I would like you to get out of here."

She waited till Umbridge's footsteps had died down, and then turned to her colleagues.

"We must be careful." She said tensely. "Filius, Ginny will you please go and cancel all Hogsmeade trips? Our students must stay within the castle. Ginny, put up a notice ordering all students to move in groups inside the castle. I doubt we have seen the last of the ministry."

"Bloody Merlin!" Draco exclaimed as soon as he looked into the first page of the Daily Prophet. They were sitting in the dining hall of Draco Malfoy's house. Breakfast had just been cleared away. Harry took the newspaper from him.

"Golden Day for the wizarding Society- Ministry decides to banish outsiders." screamed the headline. Underneath was a huge photograph of Nott giving some kind of speech, from what he could make out from his movements.

"Very nice." He commented wryly, "I am definitely enjoying my return home. And to think I lost eleven years trying to end all this………"

Hermione snatched the paper from him and immediately threw it away.

"Brilliant!" she said, "so he's already getting the orb to work, is he? Well, Malfoy, I hope you are pleased with yourself. After all didn't you play a role in stealing it?"

Draco stared at her. Harry thought he could detect a flitting expression of hurt on his face before it was masked again.

"Well, Granger, come to think of it." he said coolly, "If Nott hadn't found that other orb, would you have gone to India and discovered your long lost friend? Dark objects are useful, really."

"Of course they are." Hermione retorted, " I am sure Nott had this noble cause in mind when he decided to steal it."

"Do you two mind shutting up?" Harry asked conversationally, " It's not nice you know, after all these years. You are going to give me a headache."

"I have no wish to talk to him." Hermione said, " He is the reason I lost my job. If it wasn't for him and his friends, I would still be in the ministry and be of use."

"If you have accepted my offer, you would be still in the Ministry."

"Right." Harry said firmly, "Do either of you know what happened to my old wand? I seem to remember it slipped of my hand quite intact after I had cast my last spell."

"It's in Hogwarts." Hermione said quickly, "Ginny has it with her, along with your Gringotts key."

"Ginny? How is she?" Harry asked in a changed tone.

"She is all right, Harry," Hermione said gently. "I have already told you she has been teaching at Hogwarts. She also keeps your owl with her you know…Harry, what happened?"

For Harry had suddenly left his seat and walked up to the window.

Harry stood facing the window, staring at nothing.

"Nothing, Hermione, not seen the English sky for ages." He said with his back to them. As he rubbed his eyes suddenly he spotted a tiny speck in the sky. The speck was growing larger every second and it was moving towards the Malfoy manor.

"What were you saying about Hedwig, Hermione?"

"Ginny has been looking… oh my!" She exclaimed, as the snowy white owl landed on Harry's shoulder and started nipping his ear.

"Smart owl, Potter." Draco drawled.

Harry was stroking Hedwig on the back.

"Did you know I was back, old girl?" he whispered to her, "You are a very clever owl! And you have been good to Ginny, haven't you?"

Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately in reply. Harry took in his arms and walked back to his friends.

"I need my wand." he said.

"Master!" cried a shrill voice from the doorway. Hermione pursed her lips and looked firmly away. Draco glanced at her , shook his head, and turned back towards the door.

" What is it, Elvira?" He asked calmly.

" Mr. Nott is downstairs, master."

"Tell him I will be down right away." Malfoy said, and the elf bowed and left. "Potter, Granger stay here. Try not to make any noise, all right?"

"I feel restless." Harry complained in a whisper when he was gone. " Wish I could here what Nott is saying."

"I have way, Harry." Hermione smiled, and waved her wand. A pair of thread like things came flying. "Help yourself." She said handing him one.

"Extendable ears?"

"Yes. Seized them from some first years. They were trying to spy on me.

"Too bad you caught them." Said Harry grinning, "Must meet up with them sometime."

"Yes, thank you, my trip was fine" Draco was saying.

"I wish you had returned a day earlier, Malfoy," came Nott's voice, "our show was such a great success."

"Yes, I heard about it in the paper. Congratulations."

"Save your congratulations for later, Malfoy." Nott said smugly, "wait till we get Hogwarts under our control."

"And how do you propose to go about it , Nott?" Draco's voice was carefully light and easy.

"well, it could have been quite simple if Mcgonagall had accepted our terms , but anyway, that old hag's time is quite short, if I have anything to do with it."

I bet you have, Harry thought with clenched teeth. Hermione beside him was looking outraged.

"Well last night, we got one of the old educational decrees put into practice. Since the mudblood had escaped he post of transfiguration teacher was lying empty. Mcgonagall was filling in, but the Ministry has decided that the workload is too much for the headmistress, who has plenty of responsibility. So we've got my wife to fill in the post."

"Pansy will teach transfiguration?"

"Yes, isn't this a good plan? She can keep watch on Weasley, for I'm sure Granger, is in touch with her. And I will be visiting the school, and 2with my orb, I will have everybody obeying me."

"THAT COMPLETE COW………."

"Hermione, calm down"

"MY REPLACEMENT? THAT………"

"Hermione, please………"

"I se you have heard everything." Draco said from the door.

Hermione spun around to face him.

"Are you trying to ruin Hogwarts? Will you tell me what Pansy Parkinson Nott is going to teach there? Giggling? The art of stupidity? The ..."

"Stop blaming me for everything, Granger!" Draco Malfoy shouted, in a manner most uncharacteristic of him, "I didn't do this!"

"Hermione, please," Harry said firmly, coming between the two, "Hogwarts doesn't tolerate bad teachers. It got rid of Umbridge, it will got rid of Parkinson too."

"But, Potter, did you hear what Nott said?" Draco asked, "He's going to use that orb in Hogwarts."

"And he will find that it won't be so easy." Hermione said, "If you had read Hogwarts: A History, you would have known that the castle has it's own defensive magic, that…"

"But you have read it you can always enlighten us, can't you, Granger?" Without giving her time to reply he turned to Harry, "As I was saying, Potter, Nott says he's going to use it at the school. He's already using it outside. You are the one controlling the rival orb, can't you stop him?"

Harry slipped his hand into his pocket and brought out the orb. "The orb responds to me, Malfoy. It has returned me my memory. But to use it on others, I need my wand, which, I think you said , Hermione, is at Hogwarts. I guess my old school awaits me."

"But you can't go to Hogwarts, Harry," Hermione sounded quite alarmed, "you know Nott & his gang watching."

Harry smirked "you don't suppose he's more dangerous than Filch or Snape, do you? Not to mention of a certain Slytherin boy constantly poking his pointed nose in my business---------"

"Yeah, right! And you did not poke your nose anywhere at all, did you, Potter?" Draco laughed, "So you mean to visit Hogwarts, do you?"

"Exactly."

"When?"

"Umm…how about tonight? When everyone in the castle sleeping?"

Draco shook his head. "You will never change. Anyway, hold on. "Elvira, come here." He called. The elf appeared instantly at his feet. "Bring the rosewood chest from my room."

The elf bowed and left.

Hermione looked thoroughly repulsed. I suppose you can't tie your own shoe laces, can you?" She stormed out of the room

Elvira returned carrying a medium sized chest.

"Elvira has brought master's chest."

"Thank you, you may go now." Draco turned to Harry, "Potter, you left something with me when you rushed off to finish him off." He opened the chest and something silvery out of it.

"You had worn the cloak to enter the Dark Headquarters to kill Nagini, remember? It should be useful to you tonight. And this piece of parchment fell out of its pocket. I have kept it as well."

Harry touched the parchment. It was the Marauder's Map. "Malfoy" he said in a very quiet voice, "there is something I should have done years ago, but I never got the time. Thank you for all the help." He stretched his right hand. Draco hesitated for a minute, and then took it.

"Here goes a long overdue handshake." said Harry. "Do you remember the first time?" Draco asked, "I had offered my hand then, saying I could help you choose your friends. What a prat I was!"

"I remember too well." Harry replied, swallowing a lump in his throat, "I miss Ron."

"Yes, I think Granger misses him too." came the reply, in an odd suppressed voice.

Harry looked at him.

"Draco, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot Potter."

"How come Parkinson became Mrs. Nott? I think she went out with you?"

Draco gave a short bitter laugh. "You mean she went out with the son of the mighty Lucius Malfoy. After the war, well, I was ruined. My parents were dead, my home was ruined, I was a complete loser. Nott, on the other hand, had not only got cleared off all charges, but his father had also managed to spend some extra gold to gain importance in the Ministry. Why should Pansy marry me? In a way it was a good thing. I didn't have to break it off. She went her on her own. I couldn't have spent my entire life with a giggling empty girl like her. Granger, what on earth is all that?"

The last sentence was spoken more loudly, addressed, obviously, to Hermione, who had just returned with a pile of parchments in her arms.

"Harry, I've decided that there's no point wasting my time while you learn to use the orb." She replied, not looking at Draco, "I will work on the Elf Empowerment Bill, so that I can table it as soon as I got back my job."

"That may not be anytime soon. You are a convict, remember?" Draco told her unkindly, and kept staring at her, as if expected her to retort. Hermione, however, completely ignored him. Harry watched him for a few seconds before resuming the conversation.

"So Pansy was not clever enough for you?" he said, and Draco hastily turned back at him.

"Funny, I never have the impression in school that you liked to be with intelligent people. I mean, Crabbe and Goyle weren't exactly the class-toppers, right?"

"People change, with time, Harry." Draco said slowly.

"Maybe they do," Harry mused " not everybody changes, though." He turned to smile at his bushy-haired friend, "Hermione, you didn't tell me how S.P.E.W is working!"


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: **Rowling created Harry Potter. I created this story.

* * *

**-Chapter Sixteen-**

**Nighttime Wanderings**

* * *

"Professor, I've finished copying down everything you told me to." John said, laying down his quill.

Professor Weasley looked up from her book.

"All right, Mr. Reeds, you may leave now." She said. She stood up with him as he collected his bag and made for the door.

"I shall lock my office now. Return straight to the Gryffindor Tower, Reeds. Good night."

"Good night, Professor." John turned left for the staircase leading to the Gryffindor Tower. It hadn't been such a bad evening, he reflected, as he made his way in the dark. Professor Weasley had made him copy the old quidditch records from 1970 to 1990, and a lot of familiar names had jumped to him while doing it. There was the mention of Mr. Lupin, Meg and Mark's dad, as commentator, James Potter and Ron's uncle Charlie as Gryffindor seekers and so on. Still, he thought, detention for looking out of the window for a chance second was too hard. He hadn't realized before that Professor Weasley could be this strict.

He stopped suddenly as he spotted a hooded figure coming up the staircase. He was carrying a staff, but instead of using it for support, he was holding it with both arms. John glanced at his watch, which said it was quarter past eleven. Who could it be?

You've just had a detention"- a voice said inside his head. John chose to ignore it. Following the man was difficult as he kept glancing back and sideways. Fortunately for John, it was dark and he was thin enough to be concealed by a statue or a pillar or a Coat of Armour, which were quite regularly met with in Hogwarts corridors. And also, Peeves was not around. The man stopped outside Professor Nott's office and knocked. The door opened and the man went in, closing it again behind him. 'You are being reckless"- said the voice inside his head again, but John went and pressed his ear against the keyhole. Sound of hushed conversation came from within, and he recognized the voice of Theodore Nott. So, Mr. Nott had come to meet his wife. He really shouldn't eavesdrop anymore, John thought, and made to pull away, when Mr. Nott spoke again.

"It is not working properly here." He was saying, and he sounded angry and impatient, "Pansy, I want you to find out what protective spells are at work in Hogwarts."

What was not working here? Something evil, seeing that Hogwarts was resisting it? But how could Mr. Nott harm Hogwarts when his own son was here?

There was a low purr and John looked down in time to see Mrs. Norris scurrying away, possibly to get Filch.

"Run"-said the voice in his head and this time he heeded it. Without caring for how much sound he was making, he ran for life. He could soon hear Filch's footsteps behind him. He found a staircase and started climbing down, without thinking where it would take him. He had not gone five steps when he tripped and sprained his ankle. He was now done for it. Filch's footsteps were becoming louder every second. With a sinking heart he stared at the top of the staircase, waiting for Filch to appear there with his leering face, when several things happened at once. He found himself lifted up by someone he couldn't see. He tried to scream out in horror, but a strong hand that seemed to belong to no one clamped down on his mouth. Next second, he found himself pulled inside some kind of a silvery cloak. The hand, which he could suddenly see now, still covered his mouth, effectively pinning him against somebody's body, and he was relieved to realize that the hand wasn't after all a dismembered one. But because of the way in which he was held, he couldn't turn back to see the person's face. Soon enough, Filch appeared, holding a lantern and with Mrs. Norris tagging along (he had a strong urge to kick out at her, but the person holding him had made that impossible too. Miraculously, Filch walked right past them without a glance at them.

"Sniff, my sweet, he must be somewhere around."

Mrs. Norris fixed her lamp-like eyes right on them, but she too skulked away behind her master.

"Be quiet." The man holding him said warningly, when both the caretaker and his cat had disappeared, and slowly removed the cloak and then his hand, though still holding John by the shoulder. John turned around immediately and found that his captor was a young man, tall, thin, with messy dark hair and glasses. He looked somewhat familiar, but John couldn't place him.

"Mrs. Norris is such a pest, isn't she?" the man asked him, grinning. He took out a wand from his pocket, and pointing it to his ankle, muttered something.

John found his ankle healed.

"Thank you, er…who are you?" he managed to stammer out.

The man smiled.

"You are John Reeds, aren't you?" he asked instead. "So you thought you would eavesdrop at your teacher's door when everybody else was in bed?"

John stared at him stupefied. He wanted to ask how he knew his name, but he was too amazed to speak.

"I had a detention with Professor Weasley." He said weakly, after a while.

"Wow, first you have a detention and then you go on a castle-tour instead of returning to your dormitory. You seem to be quite a regular rule-breaker." For some strange reason, the man seemed to be quite amused.

"Who _are_ you?" John asked again.

"That's an interesting question. I'll tell you, but tell me first, what were the Notts saying?"

"I didn't hear the whole of it," John said hesitatingly, "But Mr. Nott was angry that something was not working properly at Hogwarts because of the protective spells, and he asked Professor Nott to find out what those spells were. That's all I heard."

The man seemed to be satisfied with this report.

"She's always right." he muttered softly to himself and then turned back at him.

"Thank you, John. Well, I have some work of my own here tonight, but I will first escort you to the Gryffindor Tower. Get under the cloak and be careful not to make any sound."

They reached the Fat Lady's portrait in silence. The stranger led him through a couple of shortcuts which John hadn't known before. In front of the portrait John threw off the cloak and grabbed the man's hand.

"You still haven't told me your name." He said accusingly.

The man laughed and then glancing at the sleeping portrait pulled John a little away from it.

"You are so impatient. I like that. Well, my name is Harry Potter."

"Don't be ridiculous. Harry Potter is dead. He died eleven years ago. "

"The Boy Who Had Died has come back." The man said softly, and brushed the hair off his forehead. "Do you know this?" he asked John.

John stared. There on his forehead was the famous scar. He observed his face- yes, those green eyes, that messy hair, it resembled the picture on his Chocolate frog card a great deal.

"But…but…how did you…"

"Survive?" he finished his question for him, "Well, I've always been good at it. But keep it quiet, all right, John? I don't want many people to know I am here."

"But I want to tell my friends I've met you." John said feeling disappointed. Ron knew a lot of stories about Harry Potter, but he could now tell him he had met him!

"Well, you can tell Ron or the Lupins, but make sure they don't tell anyone else. It was nice meeting you. Good night." He turned to go.

"Good night." John said dazedly. "The man not only knew his name and what he had been doing, but he also knew who his friends were. A sudden idea struck him.

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry Potter turned back.

"Call me Harry, please."

"Well, Harry, can I ask you something?

"Yes?" He asked smiling.

"Do you know where Professor Granger is?"

Harry looked him up and down.

"You know, the Fat Lady has a habit of disappearing in the middle of the night. You better be quick or you won't be able to make it to bed tonight."

With that, he was gone.

**-XXX-**

Ginny hadn't been long asleep when something woke her up. She sat up on her bed, and listened. There was a soft knocking at her office door. She switched on the lights and put on her blue dressing gown and then went to open the door, clutching her wand firmly. There was no one outside. She stepped outside the door and looked sideways. There was no one in sight, not even a ghost. She had probably imagined it. She was prone to this kind of things these days, since Hermione's disappearance. She came in again and locked her door and was about to turn off the lights when she saw someone standing inside her room. Her heart stopped and she stared wordlessly at the person, without moving or speaking. She was taking it all in, the emerald eyes, the messed up hair, the scar that was almost hidden behind it, the silvery invisibility cloak and an old piece of parchment in his hands, she noticed everything and they all seemed to fit; but somehow, her mind could not register what she was seeing.

The person took a step towards her.

"Ginny?" He said softly, tentatively, "It's me, Ginny. It's me, Harry."

Ginny clutched her head in her arms.

"I am dreaming." She moaned feverishly, "I am dreaming again! I need to stop dreaming about the old days, I really need to…"

Harry strode up to her and clutched her, "Ginny," he said in a stronger voice, "it's really me. I am here. I am back. I am _alive_, Ginny."

The last word finally made an effect, and Ginny looked up at his face.

"It's really you." She said whispering, more to herself than to Harry, and then, "Oh, Harry!" She flung herself on him and broke down.

Some minutes passed, or maybe, an eternity. Ginny stopped weeping, and looked up those bright eyes, which didn't seem very dry either.

"Where have you been?" She asked lightly, as though Harry had just returned from a weekend trip he had gone on without telling her.

"That's such a long tale, Ginny, " he smiled, "will you keep me standing all night?"

**-XXX-**

"You are lying. I am not going to believe you." Ron said flatly, when John had finished narrating the previous night's experience, revealing the mysterious stranger's identity only at the end, just as Harry himself had done to him.

"But, look, he was here. I saw him. I saw his scar, and cloak. It was really him. And he knows where Hermione Granger is."

"Did he tell you where?"

"Of course not, but…"

"See what I mean?"

"Are you fighting again?" said a girl from the doorway of their dorm. "Honestly, aren't you guys ever tired, or hungry, for that matter?"

"John reckons he met Harry Potter last night." Her brother told her.

"What? Did you really? What was he like?" She asked excitedly.

"Meg has always believed Harry Potter to be alive. She used to reason out her theories on it with dad." Mark remarked dryly.

"Let's go down for breakfast. I'll tell you all on the way to the hall." John told Meg, "And meanwhile, you two, if you don't believe it, don't at least go around telling everyone. He asked me to keep it to myself, and I suppose he was right."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Please review. Also, I might take a break soon. 


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